The Journal of Economic Literature

The Journal of Economic Literature
Title	The Journal of Economic Literature
Discipline	Economics
Abbreviation	JEL
Publisher	American Economic Association
Country	United States
History	1969–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0022-0515

Contents

The Journal of Economic Literature is a quarterly review journal published by the American Economic Association that synthesizes research across the field of economics. It publishes surveys, bibliographies, and occasional symposia that map developments in areas such as macroeconomics, microeconomics, labor economics, and development economics. The journal functions as a bridge between topical research published in journals like Econometrica, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, and The Review of Economic Studies and broader scholarly audiences associated with institutions such as National Bureau of Economic Research, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank.

History

The journal was established in 1969 under the auspices of the American Economic Association during a period of institutional expansion that included the growth of the National Bureau of Economic Research and the internationalization of journals such as Journal of Political Economy and Econometrica. Early editorial leadership drew on scholars affiliated with Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Princeton University, and Yale University. Landmark policy debates reflected in its pages paralleled events involving Bretton Woods Conference legacies, shifts after the Oil Crisis of 1973, and reform waves influenced by policymakers at Federal Reserve System, Treasury Department, and European Central Bank. Over successive decades the journal incorporated themes arising from institutions and initiatives including World Bank Group, United Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Labour Organization, and Asian Development Bank.

The journal commissions comprehensive surveys spanning subfields referenced by programs at Stanford University, London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and Northwestern University. It covers methodological links to work published in venues such as American Economic Review and Journal of Econometrics and topical intersections related to policy debates at Congress of the United States, European Commission, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, and People's Bank of China. Articles commonly address contributions by scholars associated with awards and institutions like the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, John Bates Clark Medal, National Science Foundation, and Russell Sage Foundation. The journal’s bibliographic essays draw on corpora linked to archives at Library of Congress, British Library, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Inter-American Development Bank, and OECD Library.

Editorial governance is centered at the American Economic Association with an editor-in-chief supported by editorial boards composed of academics from universities including University of Michigan, Duke University, Brown University, Cornell University, and University of Chicago. The review process engages discussants and referees drawn from networks involving National Bureau of Economic Research, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Institute for Fiscal Studies, IZA Institute of Labor Economics, and Peterson Institute for International Economics. Procedures align with peer review norms seen in titles like Econometrica and Journal of Finance, while symposia coordination has involved collaborations with entities such as Russell Sage Foundation and Kellogg School of Management.

The journal is widely cited across bibliometric databases used by institutions such as Clarivate Analytics, Scopus, and RePEc, and it often features in citation analyses connected to departments at Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, University of Chicago, and Stanford University. Its synthesis articles influence curricula at graduate programs including those at London School of Economics, Yale University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and New York University. Policymakers at Federal Reserve Board, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, European Central Bank, and Bank for International Settlements have cited the journal’s reviews in policy memos and reports. The journal’s reception includes commentary in outlets tied to scholarly societies such as American Political Science Association and professional associations like Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Notable contributions include survey essays that have synthesized literatures on topics addressed by scholars linked to Milton Friedman-era debates and later work associated with Paul Samuelson, Kenneth Arrow, Amartya Sen, Gary Becker, and Robert Solow. Symposia have linked research agendas to events and programs at National Bureau of Economic Research conferences, CEPR workshops, and summer schools at Cowles Foundation and Tinbergen Institute. The journal has published influential bibliographies and reviews touching on themes prominent in prize-winning work connected to recipients of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences such as Joseph Stiglitz, Angus Deaton, Elinor Ostrom, Daniel Kahneman, and Esther Duflo.

The journal is indexed in major services used by research libraries at Library of Congress, British Library, National Library of Medicine, and university consortia including JSTOR, EBSCO, ProQuest, Scopus, and Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science). Abstracting coverage facilitates discovery through systems employed by departments at Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and Stanford University, and supports bibliometric tracking by organizations like RePEc and CrossRef.

Category:Economics journals