Personal profile
Personal information
I am a PhD candidate in economics at Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. I work on issues in applied econometrics, replication, and economics of science.
I am positioned in the Behavioral Social Sciences group within the Department of Ethics, Governance, and Society in the School of Business and Economics. I also teach at the Department of Criminology in the Faculty of Law.
Research
I am dedicated to improving methods in scientific research. My research can broadly be categorized as follows:
- Equivalence testing and practical significance testing. My job market paper introduces methods that can provide statistically significant evidence that economic relationships are practically equal to zero. In their absence, error rates in top economics journals are quite high. I’ve also employed these tests in empirical applications, such as my article in Journal of Business Ethics, and in extended methodological applications, such as in my tutorial on three-sided testing.
- Robustness tests for causal inference. I work on methods for testing critical assumptions in causal designs, including manipulation tests in regression discontinuity design and hypothetical bias experiments.
- Replication. I have reproduced over 125 papers throughout my PhD, and I have published replication work in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. I have several comments under development and under invited submission concerning publications in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Management Science, Nature Human Behaviour, and Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Ancillary activities
- Wyzant | Chicago | | 2021-10-21 - present
Ancillary activities are updated daily
Academic qualification
Economics, Master, MSc, University of Amsterdam
1 Sept 2020 → 31 Jul 2021
Award Date: 31 Jul 2021
Economics and Political Science, Bachelor, BSc, Florida State University
15 Aug 2017 → 1 Aug 2020
Award Date: 1 Aug 2020
Keywords
- H Social Sciences (General)
- K Law (General)
User created Keywords
- Economics
- Criminology
- Experimental economics
- Law and economics
- Behavioral economics
- Industrial organization
- Regulation
- Replication
- Methodology
- Causal inference
- Equivalence testing
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Three-Sided Testing to Establish Practical Significance: A Tutorial
Isager, P. M. & Fitzgerald, J., Jun 2026, In: Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. 9, 2, p. 1-20 20 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
Non-Robustness in Log-Like Specifications
Fitzgerald, J., Adema, J., Fiala, L., Kujansuu, E. & Valenta, D., 13 Mar 2026.Research output: Working paper / Preprint › Working paper › Academic
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Revisiting the Cognitive Advantages of Professional Soccer Players
Fitzgerald, J., 24 Feb 2026, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 123, 8, p. 1-2 2 p., e2515523123.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Comment / Letter to the editor › Academic
Open Access -
Imputations, inverse hyperbolic sines and impossible values
Fitzgerald, J., Feb 2026, In: Nature Human Behaviour. 10, 2, p. 239-242 4 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
Identifying the impact of hypothetical stakes on experimental outcomes and treatment effects
Fitzgerald, J., 6 Jan 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Experimental Economics. 21 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access
Courses
Projects
- 2 Finished
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FIRMBACKBONE: digital data collection infrastructure on Dutch companies
Coreynen, W. (Project Researcher), van Witteloostuijn, A. (Principal Investigator), Ziabakhshganji, Z. (Project Researcher), Ernst, E. (Project Researcher), Stroet, P. (Project Researcher), Fitzgerald, J. (Project Researcher), Orlando, G. (Project Researcher) & Bosma, B. (Project Researcher)
1/10/20 → 30/09/25
Project: Research