This examination of the role and potential for replication in economics points
out the paucity of both pure replication – checking on others’ published papers using
their data – and scientific replication – using data representing different populations in
one’s own work or in a comment. Several controversies in empirical economics are used
to illustrate how and how not to behave when replicating others’ work. The incentives
for replication are examined, and proposals aimed at journal editors and authors are
advanced that might stimulate an activity that most economists applaud but few perform.