11 May 2007

Government-wide Information Quality Guidelines:
Does journal peer review achieve "adequate" objectivity?

by Richard Belzer

in Information Quality, Peer Review, Glossary

Federal guidelines require information disseminated by federal agencies to satisfy a few broad criteria, one of which is objectivity. These guidelines give a "rebuttable presumption" to scientific information published in scholarly journals.

• Do all scholarly journals transmit this rebuttable presumption of objectivity? What about scholarly journals that also have an advocacy mission?
• What is the burden of proof for mounting a successful rebuttal?

17 Apr 2006

"Benefit-Cost Analysis"

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Information Quality, Glossary

This is a tool widely used by economists to provide a
structured understanding of the pros and cons of regulatory
alternatives. Among non-economists, however, it is widely
misunderstood. More...

13 Apr 2006

What is "Price Gouging"?

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Glossary

During and immediately after crises such as natural disasters, various parties will claim that someone is price gouging. What is price gouging, anyway? How do professional economists define it?
More...

12 Apr 2006

What Is Price Elasticty of Demand?

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Glossary

What does it mean when someone says demand is price "elastic" or "inelastic"? Why should I care?
More...

5 Apr 2006

"Significant Figures," "Precise and "Imprecise" Information

by Richard Belzer

in Information Quality, Glossary

If you can understand significant figures, you can understand the difference between precise and imprecise information.

27 Mar 2006

What Is a "Reference Dose"?

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Science, Glossary

Neutral Source has been covering a recent report of EPA's Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee concerning the level of perchlorate exposure the Agency should consider acceptable. More...

25 Mar 2006

Government-wide Information Quality Guidelines:
"Objectivity"

by Richard Belzer

in Information Quality, Glossary

Federal information quality guidelines require agencies to ensure that "influential" information satisfies certain quality standards. Perhaps the most important (and sometimes controversial) of these standards is "objectivity."

15 Mar 2006

Welcome to the Neutral Source Blog

by Richard Belzer

in Welcome, Regulatory Science, Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy, Information Quality, Legislation, Litigation, Peer Review, People & Institutions, Corrections, Events, Glossary

Neutral Source opened for business on the Ides of March 2006. More...