[R] the joy of spreadsheets (off-topic)

[Sarah Goslee]

Given that we occasionally run into problems with comparing Excel
results to R results, and other spreadsheet-induced errors, I thought
this might be of interest.

http://www.nextnewdeal.net/rortybomb/researchers-finally-replicated-reinhart-rogoff-and-there-are-serious-problems

The punchline:

"If this error turns out to be an actual mistake Reinhart-Rogoff made,
well, all I can hope is that future historians note that one of the
core empirical points providing the intellectual foundation for the
global move to austerity in the early 2010s was based on someone
accidentally not updating a row formula in Excel."

Ouch.

(Note: I know nothing about the site, the author of the article, or
the study in question. I was pointed to it by someone else. But if
true: highly problematic.)

Sarah

-- 
Sarah Goslee
http://www.functionaldiversity.org