The fragility of results and bias in empirical research: an exploratory exposition

The results of empirical work in economics and finance are typically sensitive, inter alia, to model specification, sample period, variable definitions and estimation methods. If the underlying issue attracts bias of some sort, the reporting of the results tends to be selective, intended to confirm prior beliefs, which may be ideologically-driven, or to make the paper more publishable. In this paper the fragility (variability and sensitivity) of...