The Primary Archival Research Projects of Stephen T. Ziliak
Exordium – I’m an economist who likes to get at the root of things. That is by, among other things, digging through primary source documents kept on deposit at one of the world’s data-rich historical archives.
In the archives I systematically survey, collect, and analyze original source data and correspondence – the roots of evidence and belief. The scientific proof is not in the pudding, I find; it’s frequently hiding somewhere in the basement, in a big departure from conventional wisdom.
Redditio causae – My additional training in statistics, history, and rhetoric helps.
Testing, Estimation, and the Design of Experiments — the Scientific Contributions of William Sealy Gosset (1876-1937) aka “Student” (2006–present): Guinness Archives (Guinness Storehouse, Dublin); University College London Special Collections; Museum for English Rural Life (University of Reading, UK); Cork County Archives, Cork, Ireland; National Library of Ireland; Trinity College Library (Dublin); National Archives of Ireland; University of Oxford, New College Archives; University of Oxford, Bodleian Library; Winchester College (UK) Archives
The History and Philosophy of Statistical Significance (1993-1995, 2003–2007): University College London Special Collections (Karl Pearson, Egon Pearson, W. S. Gosset, Ronald Fisher, and Jerzy Neyman files); University of Chicago (Crerar, Regenstein, Eckhart); University of Illinois-Chicago (Health Sciences, Math, Science), University of Iowa (Main Library)
Classical Economics, Literary Representations, and the Rise and Fall of the Poorhouse (1998-2001): University of Iowa (Main Library, Government Publications); Emory University (Woodruff Library, Government Publications); Bowling Green State University (Main Library, Government Publications); Indiana Historical Society Library; Indiana State Library; Iowa Historical Society Library
Welfare Reform in History—the Charity Organization Society (1993-1997): Indiana Historical Society Library; Indiana State Library; Iowa Historical Society Library; City of Indianapolis Department of Municipal Records; Indiana University-Purdue University Main Library; Marion County Public Library
