While I generally do not dabble all that much in experiments, I am familiar enough with the literature to know that, aside from general statistical power concerns, ex ante questions about how many subjects should be in the treated and
Empirical Legal Studies
Empirical Legal Studies is a blog published by the organization of the same name that focuses on the application of empirical methods to legal questions. It covers topics such as the analysis of legal institutions, judicial behavior, law enforcement, and the impact of laws and policies using data-driven research. The blog discusses developments in empirical research methodologies within the legal field and explores how quantitative and qualitative data can inform legal theory and practice. It serves as a resource for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers interested in evidence-based legal analysis and the intersection of law and social science.
Latest from Empirical Legal Studies - Page 3
Northwestern Univ. L. Rev.’s 7th Annual “Empirical Issue”: Call For Papers
If evidence of empirical legal studies’ growth was not already obvious enough in the peer-reviewed world, some movement in traditional student law reviews also evidences a turn toward ELS as well. And no more so than perhaps the Northwestern University
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CELS 2025–Save the Date
At the request of the CELS 2025 conference co-organizers, David Hyman, Neel Sukhatme, and Josh Teitelbaum, I am delighted to pass along the following information: Conference on Empirical Legal Studies 24-25 October 2025 The 19th Annual Conference on Empirical Legal
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Public Input Data on SEC Rulemaking
Incident to its rulemaking activities, the SEC, similar to other agencies, solicits public input on proposed rules and reduces to formal memoranda SEC meetings with industry advocates (and lobbyists) seeking to influence final rules. The emergence of large language models
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14th Annual Workshop on Research Design for Causal Inference
Once again hosted at Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law, Chicago, IL, the 14th annual summer Workshop on Research Design for Causal Inference will include distinct–though related–“Main” and “Advanced” workshop sessions. Main Workshop: Monday – Friday, July 28-August 1, 2025; Advanced
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Binary Choice Models: Logit/Probit/LPM/LDM?
In the “old days,” debates about binary choice models (where the dependent variable= [0,1]) typically centered on probit v. logit. More recent discussions of binary choice models, however, have broadened to include various linear regression possibilities, including LPM and LDM
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2025 ICPSR Summer Quant. Methods Programs/Workshops
While best known as a leading social science data archive, one of the ICPSR’s under-appreciated assets includes its suite of summer programs/workshops. For more than 50 years, the ICPSR has conducted a range (90+) of courses/seminars/workshops, principally based at
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Selection Effects & Prof. George Priest (1947-2024)
A prior post noting Prof. George Priest’s passing predictably emphasizes his enduring influence on the topic of selection effects in litigation. Among the many papers scheduled for publication in 42:3 Yale J. on Reg. (2025) and presented at a symposium
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Contingent Fees & Access to Justice: Data From NYC
While “contingent fees are certainly not without their problems,” recent analyses of NYC data imply that they contribute to increased equity in terms of access to justice “between rich and poor and between whites and racial minorities.” It turns out
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Transforming “Vertical” Regression Output Into a “Horizontal” Table Format
A recent Statalist discussion (here) walks readers through the coding necessary to transform the following (traditionally “vertical”) regression output: —————————————– mpg —————————————– Weight (lbs.) -0.006 [-0.009 -0.003] 0.00 Displacement (cu. in.) 0.006 [-0.014 0.025] 0.57 Turn circle (ft.)
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