This is an idea that with some tempering that should be considered far more widely than it is today. There are a ton of variables that need to be considered before committing to punt or to go for it but I do believe that very often the consensus thinking is depriving many teams of potential scores. How often have we seen punts into the wind that never make it past the first down marker? If you're kicking the ball to a high powered offense, does a 25 yard punt really do you that much good?
On the other hand, although not very frequently, I've seen punters control the field position in games and have a great impact on the final score. If you have a punter that gives you the advantage that Ray Guy gave to the Raiders years ago isn't that a tool that should be used? Lots of questions to answer before settling in on any pattern.
To me, indirectly, this idea begs the question of why offenses tend to be so much more potent in the last minutes of games then they were in prior situations? Adrenaline surges? More aggressive play calling? Fatigue factor of the defense? Better focus of the players involved? I'm sure there are other things that I haven't considered. Is it possible that in fourth down situations some of these factors might present themselves to make the offense better able to move the ball?
I have often questioned the need to punt in many situations and I've often been right in that not much positive happens for the kicking team. I've also seen momentum swing wildly when a fourth down attempt has failed. Of course, we've all seen the success that has happened when the attempt has been successful. Nothing scientific, but how many TD's have you seen scored on a fourth and short when the defense misses a tackle and the sellout to stop the short gain results in a big play? It sure seems to happen with more frequency than other situations. There are many questions about this subject to consider but I do think coaches should look at it a little more than they presently do.