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ier-topic-selection
Use when deciding whether a question is broad and rigorous enough for an International Economic Review (IER) manuscript, and which branch (theory / structural-macro / econometric method / applied micro) frames it. Tests fit and scope; it does not invent evidence or citations.
International-Economic-Review-Skills/skills/ier-topic-selection/SKILL.md
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# Topic Selection (ier-topic-selection)
## When to trigger
- You have a result but are unsure it is *general-interest* — would a macro theorist and an applied micro reader both see why it matters?
- The question feels like a field-journal question (a single applied estimate, a narrow extension) and you want to know if it clears IER's broad-rigor bar
- The contribution is a model with a clean result, and you want to confirm theory is welcome here (it is — IER tilts theory/structural)
- The team is choosing between IER, Econometrica/QE, a top-5, and a field journal and needs the boundary drawn
## What IER actually rewards
IER was founded in 1960 to be a **forum for modern quantitative economics**, and its center of gravity is *rigor and generality* over topical novelty. The papers that fit are the ones where the contribution is a **method, a model, or a tight model-to-evidence link** that travels beyond the immediate application. Sort your question against these archetypes before going further:
| Archetype | What makes it an IER paper | What gets it desk-rejected here |