The American Economic Review

The American Economic Review
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Title	The American Economic Review
Abbreviation	AER
Discipline	Economics
Publisher	American Economic Association
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1911–present
Impact	(see Publication Details and Metrics)

The American Economic Review is a prominent peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Economic Association that has served as a leading forum for research in Economics since 1911. Founded amid debates following the Panic of 1907 and the creation of the Federal Reserve System, the journal has published influential work by scholars associated with institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and London School of Economics. Its pages have carried research by economists who participated in major policy and intellectual events including the New Deal, the post‑World War II reconstruction coordinated at the Bretton Woods Conference, and debates surrounding the Great Recession.

History

The journal was established by the American Economic Association during a period of institutional consolidation influenced by figures like Richard T. Ely and John Bates Clark, and it reflected contemporary conversations connected to the Progressive Era and the regulatory reforms culminating in the Clayton Antitrust Act. Early issues featured contributions from scholars affiliated with Columbia University, Yale University, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University. Through the interwar years the journal published work engaging with themes tied to the 1929 United States presidential election, the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act, and responses to the Great Depression. Mid‑century editors curated research aligned with methodological trends promoted by figures such as Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman, John Maynard Keynes (via influence of Keynesian economics), and researchers engaged with institutions like the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Cowles Commission. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the journal became a venue for work by scholars from Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, Columbia Business School, and Princeton University, reflecting the rise of game theory research associated with John Nash and empirical studies tied to datasets produced by agencies including the Internal Revenue Service and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Scope and Content

The journal’s scope covers a wide array of topics intersecting with research programs developed at Chicago School of Economics, Keynesian economics, New Classical Economics, Behavioral economics associated with Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, and applied work influenced by field experiments conducted in settings like Bangladesh, India, and Kenya. Typical content includes theoretical papers drawing on methods from authors connected to the Cowles Foundation and RAND Corporation, empirical macroeconomic studies tied to data from the Federal Reserve Board and International Monetary Fund, and microeconomic analyses engaging institutions such as Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences laureates’ work. The journal has published influential papers on topics related to markets studied in the context of New York Stock Exchange, trade analyses referencing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, public finance investigations touching on legislation like the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and development studies connected to initiatives by the World Bank and International Labour Organization.

Editorial Policy and Peer Review

Editorial oversight has historically involved prominent scholars affiliated with editorial boards drawn from Harvard Kennedy School, Yale School of Management, Wharton School, London School of Economics, and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. The peer review process mirrors procedures used by top journals such as Quarterly Journal of Economics and Journal of Political Economy, employing anonymized referee reports from scholars with appointments at institutions including New York University, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Policy statements emphasize standards akin to those adopted by the Committee on Publication Ethics and reflect statistical expectations informed by methods championed by researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Editorial practices have evolved in response to debates prompted by cases involving reproducibility championed by scholars working with data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and transparency initiatives promoted by funders like the Gates Foundation.

Notable Papers and Contributions

The journal has published canonical papers that shaped literatures associated with Paul Samuelson’s formalizations, empirical strategies later used by Angus Deaton and James Heckman, and theoretical contributions that influenced policy discussions involving Olivier Blanchard and Ben Bernanke. Landmark articles include work on price theory connected to debates with proponents at University of Chicago, growth models tied to frameworks developed by Robert Solow and Robert Lucas Jr., and empirical identification strategies that echo the approaches of Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens. The AER has also been the venue for influential field experiments and randomized controlled trials in development economics advancing methods associated with Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, and for econometric innovations linked to scholars from the Cowles Commission and the Institute for Advanced Study.

Influence and Reception

The journal’s influence is reflected in citation patterns observed across publications such as Nature, Science, Journal of Political Economy, and Quarterly Journal of Economics, and in its role shaping policy debates in venues like testimony before the United States Congress, reports issued by the Federal Reserve System, and white papers from the World Bank. Reception has varied across intellectual traditions, with critique and engagement from scholars in the Chicago School of Economics, Austrian School, Marxian economics circles, and proponents of behavioral economics. Awards and recognition accorded to authors publishing in the journal include the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, the John Bates Clark Medal, and fellowships from institutions such as the National Academy of Sciences.

Publication Details and Metrics

The journal is issued quarterly by the American Economic Association and distributed to subscribers including university libraries at Harvard University, Yale University, University of Oxford, Cambridge University, and major research centers like the National Bureau of Economic Research. Metrics tracked by indexing services include citation counts in databases maintained by Clarivate Analytics and rankings in lists produced by associations such as the Research Excellence Framework and the Times Higher Education surveys. Impact indicators often cited for the journal are comparable to leading outlets like the Quarterly Journal of Economics and are used by departments during hiring and promotion assessments alongside metrics from grant agencies including the National Science Foundation.

Category:Academic journals