Reinhart-Rogoff revisited: Coding errors happen – key problem was in not making the data openly available from the start

The eventual replication of the data from the Reinhart-Rogoff paper on 90% debt/GDP threshold has sparked vibrant discussion on the impact of error-ridden research on austerity policies around the world. Velichka Dimitrova argues this controversy highlights the importance of open data of economics datasets. Coding errors happen, yet the greater research problem was not allowing for other researchers to review and replicate the results through making the data openly available as early as possible.