Modeling, Evaluation, and Methodology in the New Century

The modern world has influenced the approach to empirical modeling and consequently the approach to methodology in general. The question of whether to base a model on an economic theory is easier when several models can be constructed, but an empirical evaluation analysis is required. Starting with a widely specified model and using a reduction procedure is currently a popular process; it is unclear if the reduction should be to a single or to a few alternatives. New methodologies are required for conditional predictive distributions, which are the models of the future.