Econ Journal Watch has been remarkably successful at attracting top-quality commentary on economic journal articles, and on the economics discipline more generally. The journals themselves are publishing less commentary — as an article in Econ Journal Watch noted — and are often reluctant to criticize the research that they publish, so Econ Journal Watch provides a valuable service. The material Econ Journal Watch publishes is relevant, interesting, and fun to read, and Econ Journal Watch has developed a following as a result.
I have been an academic economist for more than three decades and have published well over 100 articles in academic journals, and rarely do I get much feedback from what I’ve written. However, I have had one piece published in Econ Journal Watch, and on the day it was published four of my colleagues commented to me about it in casual conversation in the hallway, and I also received several e-mail comments on it. That was first-hand evidence to me that not only is the material in Econ Journal Watch good, economists read it!
Econ Journal Watch has already had a significant impact on the profession, and I expect its significance to grow over time.