Stephen Ziliak
Encyclopedia
Stephen T. Ziliak is an American professor of economics
. He currently works at Roosevelt University
in Chicago
, IL
. He previously taught for the Georgia Institute of Technology
, Emory
, and Bowling Green
. Much of his work has focused welfare
and poverty
, rhetoric
, and the philosophy
of science
and statistics
. Most known for his works in the field of statistical significance
, Ziliak gained notoriety from his 1996 article, "The Standard Error of Regressions" and later his book on the subject, The Cult of Statistical Significance, both coauthored with Deirdre McCloskey
.
in Economics from Indiana University
and a doctorate
degree in Economics from the University of Iowa
. While at Iowa
, he served as the resident scholar in the Project on Rhetoric of Inquiry, co-writing the now-famous paper The Standard Error of Regressions. Following the completion of his degree, he taught at Bowling Green
, Emory
, Georgia Tech
, and (currently) Roosevelt University
.
, Ziliak became friends with his dissertation adviser, Deirdre McCloskey
. He and McCloskey shared an interest in the fields of rhetoric
and statistical significance
— namely how the two concepts merge in modern economics. In their paper, The Standard Error of Regressions, McCloskey and Ziliak argue that econometrics
greatly over-values and vastly misuses statistical significance testing — Students t-test. They claim econometricians rely too heavily on statistical significance
, but too little on actual economic significance. The paper also reviews and critiques over 40 years worth of published papers in economic journals to see if and how ambiguity and misuse of statistical significance affect the author's article. Some economists call this opinion the McCloskey critique
.
Ziliak's current projects include an economic history
study of the experimental philosophy
and econometric practice of William S. Gosset (1876-1937) aka "Student", the inventor of "Student's" t and celebrated Head Brewer
of Guinness
.
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He currently works at Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, IL
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He previously taught for the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, Emory
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, and Bowling Green
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
. Much of his work has focused welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
and poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, and the philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
. Most known for his works in the field of statistical significance
Statistical significance
In statistics, a result is called statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance. The phrase test of significance was coined by Ronald Fisher....
, Ziliak gained notoriety from his 1996 article, "The Standard Error of Regressions" and later his book on the subject, The Cult of Statistical Significance, both coauthored with Deirdre McCloskey
Deirdre McCloskey
Deirdre N. McCloskey is an American economics professor. Her job title at the University of Illinois at Chicago is Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication...
.
Career
Ziliak received his B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Economics from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and a doctorate
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in Economics from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. While at Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, he served as the resident scholar in the Project on Rhetoric of Inquiry, co-writing the now-famous paper The Standard Error of Regressions. Following the completion of his degree, he taught at Bowling Green
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
, Emory
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, and (currently) Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
.
Work on Rhetoric and Statistical Significance
While at IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, Ziliak became friends with his dissertation adviser, Deirdre McCloskey
Deirdre McCloskey
Deirdre N. McCloskey is an American economics professor. Her job title at the University of Illinois at Chicago is Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication...
. He and McCloskey shared an interest in the fields of rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
and statistical significance
Statistical significance
In statistics, a result is called statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance. The phrase test of significance was coined by Ronald Fisher....
— namely how the two concepts merge in modern economics. In their paper, The Standard Error of Regressions, McCloskey and Ziliak argue that econometrics
Econometrics
Econometrics has been defined as "the application of mathematics and statistical methods to economic data" and described as the branch of economics "that aims to give empirical content to economic relations." More precisely, it is "the quantitative analysis of actual economic phenomena based on...
greatly over-values and vastly misuses statistical significance testing — Students t-test. They claim econometricians rely too heavily on statistical significance
Statistical significance
In statistics, a result is called statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance. The phrase test of significance was coined by Ronald Fisher....
, but too little on actual economic significance. The paper also reviews and critiques over 40 years worth of published papers in economic journals to see if and how ambiguity and misuse of statistical significance affect the author's article. Some economists call this opinion the McCloskey critique
McCloskey critique
The McCloskey critique refers to a critique of post-1940s "official modernist" methodology in economics, inherited from logical positivism in philosophy. The critique maintains that the methodology neglects how economics can be done, is done, and should be done to advance the subject...
.
Ziliak's current projects include an economic history
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
study of the experimental philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and econometric practice of William S. Gosset (1876-1937) aka "Student", the inventor of "Student's" t and celebrated Head Brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
of Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
.
Publications
- The Cult of Statistical Significance: How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice, and Lives University of Michigan Press, 2008. With Deirdre McCloskey.
- The Economic Conversation (forthcoming 2010). With Arjo Klamer and Deirdre McCloskey.
Articles
- McCloskey D, Ziliak S T. (1996 March). The Standard Error of Regressions, Journal of Economic Literature Vol. 34:97-114.
- McCloskey D, Ziliak S T. (2004). Size Matters: The Standard Error of Regressions in the American Economic Review, Econ Journal WatchEcon Journal WatchEcon Journal Watch is a triannual peer-reviewed electronic journal established in 2004. It is published by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation on behalf of the American Institute for Economic Research...
. 1(2) 331-338. - The End of Welfare and the Contradiction of Compassion, The Independent Review I (1, Spring 1996), pp. 55–73
- Kicking the Malthusian Vice: Lessons from the Abolition of `Welfare' in the Late Nineteenth Century, Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 37 (2, Summer 1997), pp. 449–68.
- D. N. McCloskey and the Rhetoric of a Scientific Economics, pp. ix-xxvi, in S. T. Ziliak, ed., Measurement and Meaning in Economics (2001).
- What are Models for?, In Warren J. Samuels and Jeff E. Biddle, eds., Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology 19-A (Elsevier Press, 2001), pp. 149–159.
- Pauper Fiction in Economic Science: `Paupers in Almshouses' and the Odd Fit of Oliver Twist, Review of Social Economy 55 (2, June 2002), pp. 159–181.
- Haiku Economics, Rethinking Marxism 14 (September 2002), pp. 111–112.
- The Significance of the Economics Research Paper, In Edward Fullbrook, ed., A Guide to What's Wrong with Economics (Anthem Press 2004), Chp. 21, pp. 223–236.