Journal publication in economics: a view from the periphery

Abstract

Given the supreme importance of publication in journals for advancement in our profession it is not surprising that a fair amount of attention has been paid to analyzing its patterns and trends2. The purpose of this short paper is to point to some specific problems faced by economists who write not primarily in the areas of mainstream concern in economics, but in the somewhat peripheral fields (like development, history, urban economics, etc.), and these problems are largely neglected in the general analysis of journal publication. Having myself toiled for many years in the field of development economics, guided many young students in that field, and edited one of the main field journals, I may have acquired over the years some understanding of the problems that economists in such peripheral fields, particularly those who are not yet established or tenured, face in the highly competitive world of journal publication. While many of my examples will be drawn from this field, I understand that some of the other fields have also encountered similar problems. I am writing this in the hope that some general awareness of these problems may enhance the quality of competition and productivity in this market and broaden the range of our professional priorities and concerns. Let me start with what many young economists in these peripheral fields will describe to you as a Catch-22. When they submit their papers to the mainline journals, they are often sent back (sometimes without a review, or with a cursory one) with the advice that they should try a field journal instead; and yet at tenure time the tenure committee is prone to count the number of papers in mainline journals. I know of cases where tenure has been denied to candidates with a fair

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