Open access economics journals and the market for reproducible economic research

Abstract

Most economics journals take no substantive measures to ensure that the results they publish are replicable. To make the data and code available so that published results can be checked requires an archive. Top economics journals have been adopting mandatory data. +. code archives in the past few years. The movement toward mandatory data. +. code archives has yet to reach the open access journals. This is paradoxical; given their emphasis on making articles readily available, one would think that open access journals also would want to make data and code readily available. Open access economics journals should adopt mandatory data. +. code archives en masse. Doing so will give them a competitive advantage with respect to traditional economics journals.