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Bilz on Defending the Misuse of Statistics in Law

By Larry Solum

Kenworthey Bilz (Northwestern University - School of Law) has posted <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1565029">Defending the (Mis)Use of Statistics in Law</a> (Journal of Institutional & Theoretical Economics, Vol. 166, pp. 194-198, 2010) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:<ul> In this brief Comment, I argue that the goals and craft norms of law differ so sharply from those of social science that it is a mistake to hold the two disciplines to the same set of standards for the use and interpretation of statistical evidence. First, we can lose more social value when policy makers are too cautious with empirical research than when they are too free. Second, the craft norms of law and policy making are capable of dealing with the misuses that do occur.</ul> <span href="http://" style="color: #0000bf; "><strong>Cool paper.</strong></span>

Full post as published by Legal Theory Blog on April 05, 2010 (boomark / email).