"" Finally, Ms. Reinhart and Mr. Rogoff allowed researchers at the University of Massachusetts to look at their original spreadsheet — and the mystery of the ir

"" Finally, Ms. Reinhart and Mr. Rogoff allowed researchers at the University of Massachusetts to look at their original spreadsheet — and the mystery of the irreproducible results was solved. First, they omitted some data; second, they used unusual and highly questionable statistical procedures; and finally, yes, they made an Excel coding error. Correct these oddities and errors, and you get what other researchers have found: some correlation between high debt and slow growth, with no indication of which is causing which, but no sign at all of that 90 percent “threshold.” "" Krugman has a very opinionated -->> "other researchers have found" not about Excel -->> "finally, yes, they made an Excel coding error" way to compete against Excel is actually learning to love the tool -->> Irrelevant to the topic at hand really. What might be more relevant is news like this[1]: suicides and murders are dramatically up in Greece in the wake of the austerity measures. Choice quote, "Suicide and murder rates climbed from 2007 to 2009 particularly among men, and unusual outbreaks of malaria, West Nile virus and HIV took clinicians by surprise, said the findings in the American Journal of Public Health." Austerity measures in Europe are having very real and tangible consequences, the vagaries of Excel-wrangling are neither here nor there. Granted the NY Times article title is arguably link-baity and sensationalist. One wonders do R/R worry about how their shoddy research has been parlayed into needless suffering? [1] http://www.thejournal.ie/suicides-murders-rise-as-greek-austerity-takes-health-toll-875916-Apr2013/ http://www.thejournal.ie/suicides-murders-rise-as-greek-aust...