American Economic Review

American Economic Review
source
Title	American Economic Review
Discipline	Economics
Abbreviation	AER
Publisher	American Economic Association
Country	United States
Frequency	Monthly
History	1911–present
Impact	2024 impact factor

Contents

American Economic Review is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the American Economic Association that has served as a central venue for research by scholars associated with institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and London School of Economics. Founded in the early twentieth century amid debates involving figures linked to Progressive Era policy and scholars from Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University, the journal became a focal outlet for work by Nobel laureates including Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman, Amartya Sen, Kenneth Arrow, and Elinor Ostrom.

History

The journal was established in 1911 with ties to the American Economic Association and early editorial leadership drawn from academics affiliated with University of Wisconsin–Madison, Yale University, Cornell University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Pennsylvania. Throughout the twentieth century it published contributions from scholars connected to intellectual movements represented by Keynesian economics, Monetarism, Public Choice theory, General Equilibrium theory, and Game Theory—authors later associated with institutions such as Stanford University, Columbia University, Brown University, Duke University, and New York University. Editorial events and controversies intersected with broader developments including the Great Depression, World War II, and the postwar expansion of research funded by agencies like the National Science Foundation and the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The journal covers empirical and theoretical work relevant to fields represented by departments at University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Harvard Kennedy School, MIT Sloan School of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science, and University of California, Berkeley including studies that touch on markets discussed in cases involving Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve System, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and policy debates related to statutes such as the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Taft-Hartley Act. Its citation network links to other leading journals like Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Political Economy, Econometrica, Review of Economic Studies, and Journal of Economic Literature. The journal’s published work has influenced awards such as the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, the John Bates Clark Medal, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, and has been cited in major inquiries by bodies including the U.S. Congress and the European Commission.

Seminal papers appeared from authors associated with personalities and institutions tied to Chicago School of Economics, Keynesian Revolution, Austrian School, and networks including Cowles Commission affiliates and RAND Corporation researchers. Notable contributions link to landmark works by scholars who later won prizes including Milton Friedman (monetary theory), Paul Samuelson (foundations of Welfare Economics), Kenneth Arrow (social choice and risk), Robert Solow (growth theory), James Heckman (program evaluation), Angus Deaton (consumption), and Joseph Stiglitz (information economics). Influential empirical studies have informed policy debates related to institutions such as the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Department of Labor, World Trade Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and cases litigated before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Published by the American Economic Association, issues historically appeared quarterly and later moved to a more frequent schedule with special issues tied to the association’s meetings held at venues such as Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.. Backfiles intersect with repositories maintained by libraries at Harvard University, Yale University Library, Bodleian Library, Library of Congress, and digital archives utilized by institutions like JSTOR and national libraries including the British Library. Subscription and access policies have engaged debate involving publishers and consortia such as Elsevier, Springer, Wiley-Blackwell, and initiatives like Open Access movements advocated by scholars at University of California campuses.

The journal’s articles frequently underpin honors awarded by bodies such as the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Nobel Prize), the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Sciences, the Econometric Society, and prizes like the John Bates Clark Medal and the Crafoord Prize. Recognition extends to institutional citations in reports produced by International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, OECD, European Central Bank, and testimony before legislative bodies including the United States Congress and parliaments in countries such as United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Germany.

Category:Academic journals Category:Economics journals