This issue's symposium on future research directions in forensic economics originated with papers that were presented at the January 4, 2020, National Association of Forensic Economics (NAFE) session “NAFE: An Agenda for Future Research” at the Allied Social Science Associations annual meeting in San Diego, California. The impetus for the session was to honor Jack Ward, the first editor of the Journal of Forensic Economics (JFE) by having him provide insights on what research in forensic economics has contributed to the current knowledge of practitioners, as well as his thoughts on the future directions of forensic

Abstract

While considerable progress in research in the field of Forensic Economics has been achieved over the past 35 years, a number of areas of need for further research persist. This paper provides an overview of the scope of research in the field and the critiques of that research gathered through member surveys, submissions by journal editors, and publications of Richard Posner and the author.

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This paper provides suggestions for future research by forensic economists, focused upon personal injury and wrongful death cases. The paper is particially based on questions from our 10 surveys of NAFE members over 25 years, in which members were directly asked to rank future areas of forensic economic research in importance. We discuss answers to important questions where there is little or no consensus among respondents, and where consensus is reasonably clear, as this may influence topics chosen for future research. We also discuss research topics by drawing on our own experience as forensic economists.

Abstract

Despite a large body of published research in forensic economics, there are still controversial topics that are lacking consensus. This paper presents an agenda for research on controversial topics in the hope that the results of such research will improve the reliability and validity of the work of forensic economists. Specifically, the paper presents suggestions for research on the choice of interest rates for discounting; interest rates, earnings growth and inflation; interest rates, growth in medical costs and inflation; how many years of earnings history is necessary to project base earnings and earnings history; alternative approaches to hedonic damages; and punitive damages.

Editors' Note

An Agenda for Future Research in Forensic Economics: Setting Standards of Validity and Reliability in Measuring Progress

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An Agenda for Future Research in Forensic Economics: Topics from NAFE Surveys and Additional Proposals

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An Agenda for Future Research in Forensic Economics: New Approaches to Viewing Controversial Topics

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Worklife and Unemployment: A New Consideration

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Assessing Economic Damages in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation: The State of Arizona

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Assessing Economic Damages in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation: The State of Maryland

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Update to Assessing Economic Damages in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation: The State of California

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Update to Assessing Economic Damages in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation: The State of Nebraska

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Mothers’ Worklives and Marital Status

Personal Consumption and Single Persons: An Update

A Closer Look at Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Neutral Models

Life-Cycle Estimates of Earnings Growth by Education and Gender

Assessing Economic Damages in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation: The State of Montana