Abstract
Mandatory disclosure of research data is an essential feature for credible empirical work but comes at a cost: First, authors might invest less in data generation if they are not the full residual claimants of their data after the first journal publication. Second, authors might “strategically delay” the time of submission of papers in order to fully exploit their data in subsequent research. We analyze a three-stage model of publication and data disclosure. We find that the welfare effects of universal mandatory data disclosure are ambiguous. The mere implementation of mandatory data disclosure policies may be welfare-reducing, unless accompanied by appropriate incentives which deter strategic delay.
Highlights
Mandatory data disclosure is an essential feature for credible empirical work but comes at a cost: First, authors might invest less in data generation if they are not the full residual claimants of their data after their ...rst publication
“It is the policy of the American Economic Review to publish papers only if the data used in the analysis are clearly and precisely documented and are readily available to any researcher for purposes of replication
A Simple Model of Data Disclosure. This model analyzes the optimal e¤ort choices of a researcher, R, to generate novel data and to share the data produced with the scienti...c community, which is represented by a second researcher, C, who may use the data for subsequent research
Summary
“It is the policy of the American Economic Review to publish papers only if the data used in the analysis are clearly and precisely documented and are readily available to any researcher for purposes of replication. Some of the major economics journals have introduced mandatory data disclosure policies which require authors to share their data prior to publication. While these policies provide a strong institutional response in order to overcome low data sharing rates they may have detrimental e¤ects for researchers. Anderson et al (2008) suggest that authors generally hesitate to share their data and code despite their pre-publication commitment to provide this information This may suggest that editors, referees and readers are con...dent that the empirical results presented in the papers are always credible and robust.
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