Over the past two centuries, economists, policy makers, and researchers have aspired to “harden” social science. A lot of progress has been made: using randomized, controlled experiments; making ...

Wouldn’t it be great if you could simply report your program results and get them externally verified by a trusted third-party registry? It’s not as impossible as it sounds—in fact, we’re close.

Jessica Cantlon’s interest in science began in Northwest Indiana. Her nieces and nephews still live in the region, and she’s worried how changes in federal funding might shape their interests. “The ...