Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated
  measurements? IV. The Galactic Center
  Aiming at deriving a statistically well-justified Galactic Center distance,
$R_0$, and reducing any occurrence of publication bias, we compiled the most
comprehensive and most complete database of Galactic Center distances available
to date, containing 273 new or revised $R_0$ estimates published since records
began in October 1918 until June 2016. We separate our $R_0$ compilation into
direct and indirect distance measurements. The latter include a large body of
estimates that rely on centroid determinations for a range of tracer
populations as well as measurements based on kinematic observations of objects
at the solar circle, combined with a mass and/or rotational model of the Milky
Way. Careful assessment of the Galactic Center distances resulting from orbital
modeling and statistical parallax measurements in the Galactic nucleus yields
our final Galactic Center distance recommendation of $R_0 = 8.3 \pm 0.2 \mbox{
(statistical)} \pm 0.4 \mbox{ (systematic)}$ kpc. The centroid-based distances
are in good agreement with this recommendation. Neither the direct measurements
nor the post-1990 centroid-based distance determinations suggest that
publication bias may be important. The kinematics-based distance estimates are
affected by significantly larger uncertainties, but they can be used to
constrain the Galaxy's rotation velocity at the solar Galactocentric distance,
$\Theta_0$. Our results imply that the International Astronomical
Union-recommended Galactic Center distance ($R_0^{\rm IAU} = 8.5$ kpc) needs a
downward adjustment, while its $\Theta_0$ recommendation ($\Theta_0 = 220$ km
s$^{-1}$) requires a substantial upward revision.
