Trigger Timing
- The user says, "I want to aim for Economic Research, but I'm not sure about the topic."
- Cannot articulate the marginal contribution / wrote a paragraph but it is not on the same wavelength as what reviewers would buy
- Unsure whether to submit to Economic Research, Management World, or China Economic Quarterly
Three Hard Constraints
Hard constraints of Economic Research on topic selection:
- Theoretical contribution takes priority: "phenomenon + empirics + policy" alone is not enough; it must be attachable to a branch of economic theory
- China question: the topic must be able to explain in the first paragraph "why this question is worth doing in China"
- Marginal contributions can be enumerated: it can be broken down into 3–5 independent, non-overlapping contributions
Theoretical Contribution Self-check
After writing a one-sentence abstract, self-check item by item:
- Which branch of theoretical literature does this paper attach to? (Industrial organization / corporate finance / monetary and fiscal / institutional economics / growth theory / international trade / behavioral economics)
- What are the 2–3 representative Top-5 papers in that theoretical literature?
- What is this paper's marginal difference relative to that theory? (revise / extend / introduce a new mechanism / provide the first evidence)
- Does the Chinese context provide identification opportunities that overseas literature does not have?
Fewer than 3 yes → the topic is not deep enough; go back to the theoretical literature and read it for another two rounds.
Four-sentence Pattern for Marginal Contribution
本文的边际贡献主要体现在以下四个方面：
第一，[理论维度]——本文将……纳入[理论框架]，区别于[已有研究]……。
第二，[识别策略维度]——本文利用[政策 / 制度冲击]构造……，缓解了……内生性问题。
第三，[机制维度]——本文揭示了……机制，回答了已有文献"知其然不知其所以然"的问题。
第四，[政策意义维度]——本文为理解[中国 / 国际重要议题]提供了……证据。
Only when all four items are present is it qualified. Fewer than four items → the topic is not deep enough.
Three Questions on China Question Awareness
Economic Research opposes "econometrics for econometrics' sake"; the topic must first pass the "China question" threshold. Answer each question:
- Institutional uniqueness: What institutional differences are there between the Chinese version of this question and the overseas version? (such as central-local fiscal revenue sharing, the dual objectives of state-owned enterprises, hukou constraints) If the answer is "no difference, just switched to Chinese data," the topic will be regarded as replicative work.
- Identification opportunity: Does the Chinese context provide quasi-experimental variation that overseas data cannot obtain? (pilot rollout, administrative boundaries, staggered reform timing) — this is the key to upgrading "Chinese data" into "Chinese evidence."
- Theoretical payoff: Can the research results in turn revise or extend general theory, rather than merely saying "the theory also holds in China"? The most powerful formulation is "the Chinese context reveals what happens when the implicit assumption X of the theory is not satisfied."
Only when all three questions have substantive answers can it be considered dually qualified as "theory + China question."
One-sentence Topic Statement (before revision / after revision)
❌ Before revision: "This paper studies the impact of digital transformation on firm performance." (no theory, no China, no identification)
✅ After revision: "Using a policy pilot rolled out in batches, this paper examines how a tax administration technology shock changes firms' factor allocation by compressing tax avoidance space — providing quasi-experimental evidence from China for the theoretical proposition of 'the resource allocation effects of tax administration.'"
Topic Selection Red-flag Checklist (stop first if any item appears)
- The core explanatory variable is an index that can be replaced at will (the same story can be told with a different index) — theoretical anchoring is not solid
- The half-sentence "different from existing research" cannot be written in the abstract — the marginal contribution has not taken shape
- The shock is implemented nationwide at the same time, with no group variation — the identification strategy is inherently insufficient
- The story can only go as far as "has a positive impact", and cannot offer any candidate mechanism—writing the mechanism section will stall.
- The question already has a mature answer in top English-language journals, and the Chinese version merely swaps in different data—the third of the three questions does not pass.
Journal matching assessment
| Economic Research Journal | Management World | China Economic Quarterly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discipline | Economics | Management + Applied Economics | Economics (methods-oriented) |
| Theoretical contribution | Required | Optional | Required |
| Case / qualitative | Rare | Accepted | Very rare |
| Word count | 15,000–25,000 characters | 15,000–25,000 characters | 15,000–20,000 characters |
| Policy implications | Meaning level | Operational level | Optional |
If the manuscript leans toward management/case,do not submit it to Economic Research Journal。
Main topic axes in recent years (higher hit rate)
According to the 2024 table of contents, the journal's main axes in recent years are: new quality productive forces, common prosperity / income distribution, digital economy / data factors, dual carbon / green, central-local fiscal relations, opening up and high-quality development—which can be summarized as "the dynamic balance between efficiency and equity / high-quality development under Chinese-style modernization".Make your question connect to one of these main axes。
Benchmarks (verified as indeed from Economic Research Journal)
Select verified benchmarks from this journal to compare with your topic positioning (see resources/exemplars/): Wang Yongqin and Dong Wen, "Robots...Labor Market" (Issue 10, 2020, IV); Zhang Xun et al., "Digital Economy, Inclusive Finance and Inclusive Growth" (Issue 8, 2019, mechanism); Liu Shenglong et al., "Compulsory Education Law and Returns to Education" (Issue 2, 2016, RDD).Do not misquoteFamous policy evaluation articles published in Management World and China Industrial Economics.
Output format
【理论贡献评分】X / 4
【边际贡献四句】（草稿）
1. ...
2. ...
3. ...
4. ...
【期刊匹配建议】经济研究 / 管理世界 / 经济学（季刊）/ 其他
【下一步】er-literature-review