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jegeo-topic-selection

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Use when choosing or sharpening the research question for a Journal of Economic Geography (JEG) manuscript so it genuinely bridges geographical economics and human geography. Tests two-community fit and scope; it does not invent evidence or citations.

Journal-of-Economic-Geography-Skills/skills/jegeo-topic-selection/SKILL.md

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# Topic Selection (jegeo-topic-selection)

## When to trigger

- The core question is set but you are unsure it reads as *economic geography* rather than urban economics, trade, or generic applied micro
- The paper has strong empirics but no obvious reason a geographer would care, or rich geography but nothing that engages the economics frontier
- You suspect the question is really a Journal of Urban Economics or Regional Studies paper wearing a JEG cover letter
- A coauthor asks whether the topic clears JEG's bar before months of data work

## The two-community test (the first gate)

JEG's defining constraint is that it serves **geographical economics** (formal/quantitative NEG and quantitative-spatial models) AND **proper economic geography** (institutional, evolutionary, qualitative human geography), with an editorial board drawn roughly equally from both. The fastest way to lose at JEG is to write a paper only one community can love. Before anything else, force the question through both lenses:

- **Economist's lens:** Is there a clear economic mechanism (agglomeration externality, knowledge spillover, trade cost, sorting, increasing returns) and a credible way to learn about it? Would a quantitative spatial economist see a real question, not a regional case report?
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