Lars P. Syll

Göran Greider — veckans dumstrut Bör Sverige ställa upp med JAS-plan i Ukraina? … Det är ett genuint moraliskt dilemma. Ukrainas kamp mot aggressorn är rättfärdigt från början till slut. Och bara Ukraina ska avgöra när något som liknar fredsförhandlingar ens är tänkbara. Så är det. Men risken med ett kraftigt förstärkt ukrainskt flygvapen är att kriget trappas upp och att det varar ännu längre, med ännu fler döda. Jag menar att Sverige inte bör skicka...

A practice-based account of causal bias No estimated causal results are thus affected solely by the intervention but by many other background attributes and conditions that can give rise to bias between, within or across trial groups. A number of these influence a treatment’s estimated causal effects both within and outside a trial setting. That these and other such demanding preconditions (concauses) would be entirely satisfied for all participants is a...

Sommaren går mot sitt slut här ute på ön och på vår hamnkrog var det ikväll en spelglad duo som körde ett nostalgipotpurri med svenska örhängen. Ett av dem var den här låten, som onekligen väckte en del gamla minnen till liv: [embedded content]

The paradox of tolerance Culture, identity, ethnicity, gender, and religiosity should never be accepted as a basis for intolerance in political and civic aspects. In a modern democratic society, people belonging to these different groups must be able to rely on society to protect them against the abuses of intolerance. All citizens must have the freedom and right to question and leave their own group. Against those who do not accept this tolerance, we must...

Still the best movie trilogy of all time .[embedded content]

Sander Greenland on cognitive biases in science .[embedded content]

Nancy Cartwright’s Pufendorf lectures .[embedded content] Yours truly is fond of science philosophers like Nancy Cartwright. With razor-sharp intellects, they immediately go for the essentials. They have no time for bullshit. And neither should we. These Pufendorf lectures are a must-watch for everyone with an interest in the methodology of science.

The economic consequences of tax cuts for the rich Given the lack of consensus in existing empirical analyzes and the difficulties of making causal inferences from macro-level panel data analyzes, it remains an open empirical question how cutting taxes on the rich affects economic outcomes. We believe the question is best answered by looking at the effects of major tax cuts packages, as the story of taxing the rich in the advanced democracies over the past...

The dangers of idealizing randomization In his history of experimental social science — Randomistas: How radical researchers are changing our world — Andrew Leigh gives an introduction to the RCT (randomized controlled trial) method for conducting experiments in medicine, psychology, development economics, and policy evaluation. Although it mentions there are critiques that can be waged against it, the author does not let that shadow his overwhelmingly...

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