Aejmic Topic Selection

---
name: aejmic-topic-selection
description: Use when deciding whether a microeconomics project fits the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics (AEJ: Micro) rather than JET, GEB, Theoretical Economics, Econometrica, or AEJ: Applied. Tests scope and broad-interest fit; it does not develop the model (see aejmic-theory-model).
---

# Topic Selection & Scope Fit (aejmic-topic-selection)

## When to trigger

- The project could plausibly go to AEJ: Micro, a specialist theory journal, or an applied/empirical venue, and you must choose
- The question feels narrow, technical, or of interest only to a sub-sub-field
- A reviewer or colleague asked "is this really an AEJ: Micro paper?"
- You have a clever model but are unsure it carries a broad-interest economic message

## The AEJ: Micro fit gate

AEJ: Micro is the AEA's quarterly journal for **microeconomic theory and its applications**, founded 2009. It is **theory-first** but values **broad microeconomic interest** delivered through the **AEA editorial process**. The fit question is two-pronged: (1) is the contribution a *theory* contribution (a model, result, characterization, or theory-grounded experiment)? and (2) is the result *broadly interesting* to micro economists, not only to specialists in one technique?

### In scope
- Game theory, mechanism and market design, matching, auctions and contests
- Contract theory, information economics, Bayesian persuasion / information design
- Industrial-organization **theory** (and structural IO where the theory is the point)
- Decision theory, behavioral theory, and **theory-grounded experiments**
- Political economy / networks when the contribution is a micro-theoretic result

### Sibling boundaries — route elsewhere if
- **JET / GEB:** specialist theory prizing maximal generality or a technical advance with narrower audience → those venues; AEJ: Micro wants broader micro interest + AEA process.
- **Theoretical Economics / Econometrica:** more abstract or methodological (a new solution concept, an estimator, deep foundations) → those venues.
- **AEJ: Applied:** the contribution is an **empirical** applied-micro finding with no central theoretical result → AEJ: Applied (a sibling AEJ).
- A pure econometric-method paper → *Econometrica* / *QE* / a metrics journal.

## Decision table

| Your contribution is primarily… | Likely best home |
|---|---|
| A clean, broadly interesting micro-theory result | **AEJ: Micro** |
| A maximally general or highly technical theory advance | JET / GEB |
| A new solution concept / methodological foundation | Theoretical Economics / Econometrica |
| An empirical applied-micro finding | AEJ: Applied |
| A theory-grounded experiment testing a model | **AEJ: Micro** (or a field/experimental venue) |
| A structural IO paper where the model delivers the insight | **AEJ: Micro** (or QE / a field journal) |

## Checklist

- [ ] The central contribution is a **theory result** (or a theory-grounded experiment), not just an empirical finding
- [ ] The result is interesting to a **broad** micro audience, statable in one sentence
- [ ] Checked the four sibling boundaries (JET/GEB, TE/Econometrica, AEJ: Applied, metrics) and can say why AEJ: Micro
- [ ] The question motivates the model (not a model in search of a question)
- [ ] JEL codes that match the contribution are identifiable (required at submission)

## Anti-patterns

- A "model in search of a question" — technique first, economics absent
- Maximal generality with a narrow audience (a JET/GEB paper mis-aimed at AEJ: Micro)
- An empirical paper with a token model bolted on, sent to AEJ: Micro instead of AEJ: Applied
- Pitching a new estimator or solution concept here rather than to a methods/foundations venue
- Assuming "microeconomics" in the title is the fit test — the **theory-first + broad-interest** gate is

## Worked vignette (illustrative)

A draft characterizes optimal disclosure in a two-seller search market and also tests one comparative static in a lab experiment. Is it AEJ: Micro? Yes if the **characterization** is the contribution and the experiment is supporting evidence — that is theory-first with broad IO/information interest. It drifts to a field journal if the experiment becomes the headline and the model is decorative, and toward JET if the authors chase maximal generality at the cost of the economic message.

## Output format

```
【Contribution type】theory result / theory-grounded experiment / structural-with-theory
【One-sentence claim】[...]
【Broad-interest check】who beyond specialists cares, and why
【Sibling boundaries cleared】JET-GEB? TE-Econometrica? AEJ:Applied? metrics? [Y/N each]
【JEL codes】[primary; secondary]
【Verdict】AEJ: Micro fit? [yes / reconsider venue]
【Next step】aejmic-literature-positioning, then aejmic-theory-model
```