I think it's just absurd to believe you can get to know someone within 60 - 90 minutes. A good liar/imposter can fool people for years. That's why you always ask for references and cross check stories.
I see 0 intellectual honesty from this article. 1. No reputable economists would make outrageous predictions like "if you do A I think B will definitely happen regardless of externalities"; 2. If you are going after a study go after its facts and logic, not the author's affiliation that's just disgusting; 3. It claims this subject cannot be studied with proper control. I don't even know what to say about that.