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ecj-theory-model

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Use when a The Economic Journal (EJ) manuscript needs an explicit economic model or mechanism — either a theory paper's model, or the framework that gives a reduced-form empirical result its economic meaning. Builds and disciplines the economic argument; it does not run estimation (see ecj-identification).

The-Economic-Journal-Skills/skills/ecj-theory-model/SKILL.md

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Nov 9, 2026

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Sep 27, 2026
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# Theory & Mechanism Model (ecj-theory-model)

## When to trigger

- A reduced-form result has no model or stated mechanism behind it ("what is the economics?")
- A structural/theory paper's model exists but its assumptions or comparative statics are not disciplined
- The empirical specification is not derived from, or connected to, any economic framework
- A referee will ask which economic force drives the result and you cannot point to one

## Why this matters at EJ

EJ publishes the **full breadth of economics — theory and applied** — and both are read for whether the **economic argument is sound and of broad interest**. A clean empirical effect with no mechanism is a half-paper here: EJ wants to know *why*, not only *whether*, because the "why" is what travels across fields and gives the result general relevance. The model need not be elaborate; a one- or two-equation framework that delivers a sharp, testable comparative static, explained so a generalist follows it, is often stronger than a baroque one. EJ's exposition premium applies to theory too — the economic intuition is stated in words before the algebra. If the contribution is purely methodological/econometric with no substantive economics, weigh **The Econometrics Journal** (also RES) instead of EJ.

Two modes:
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