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Taking a look at the five years since President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Marketplace turns for comment to Dartmouth’s James Feyrer, an associate professor of economics.

The legislation, known as “the stimulus,” was supposed to save or create 3.5 million jobs, Marketplace notes. But Feyrer says it’s difficult to say exactly what the effect has been.

“If you want a precise answer that no one can quibble with, you’re not going to get that,” he tells Marketplace. He says it’s difficult to assess just how well the law worked because it’s not clear “what the world would have looked like in the absence of passing a stimulus package.”

Listen to the full story, broadcast 2/17/14 on Marketplace.