Are there any empirical studies that show the impact of refactoring (or lack of refactoring) on a development team's productivity?
(NOTE: I'm only looking for empirical data--From my own experience, I personally know that refactoring works, but I was wondering if there was some hard data to back that claim).
Trends in Java code changes: the key to identiļ¬cation of refactorings?
A Case Study on the Impact of Refactoring on Quality and Productivity in an Agile Team
The Effectiveness of Refactoring, Based on a Compatibility Testing Taxonomy and a Dependency Graph