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Lars Pålsson Syll
Professor at Malmö University. Primary research interest - the philosophy, history and methodology of economics.

Lars P. Syll

Statistical inference and sampling assumptions

Statistical inference and sampling assumptions Real probability samples have two great benefits: (i) they allow unbiased extrapolation from the sample; (ii) with data internal to the sample, it is possible to estimate how much results are likely to change if another sample is taken. These benefits, of course, have a price: drawing probability samples is hard work. An investigator who assumes that a convenience sample is like a random sample seeks to obtain...

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On mathematics and economics

On mathematics and economics Studying mathematics and logic is interesting and fun. It sharpens the mind. But economics is not pure mathematics or logic. It’s about society. The real world. Forgetting that, economics becomes nothing but an irrelevant and uninteresting ‘Glasperlenspiel.’ Or as Knut Wicksell put it already a century ago: One must, of course, beware of expecting from this method more than it can give. Out of the crucible of calculation comes...

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Significance testing and the real tasks of social science

Significance testing and the real tasks of social science After having mastered all the technicalities of regression analysis and econometrics, students often feel as though they are masters of the universe. I usually cool them down with the required reading of Christopher Achen’s modern classic Interpreting and Using Regression. It usually gets​ them back on track again, and they understand that no increase in methodological sophistication … alter the...

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Sverige behöver en hållbar riksbankslag

Sverige behöver en hållbar riksbankslag Ett lands centralbank har makten att skapa pengar och styra hur dessa används. Det gör Riksbanken till en avgörande institution för Sveriges möjligheter till hållbar omställning. Ska denna makt kunna användas på ett konstruktivt sätt måste Riksbankens mål och verktygslåda uppdateras. Annars finns risk att penningpolitiken fortsätter på den tidigare kritiserade banan där låg ränta och kvantitativa lättnader blåst...

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