Brookings Papers on Economic Activity: 2008-2010

Brookings Institution, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Brookings Papers on Economic Activity fosters research on current, large-scale issues in macroeconomics, broadly defined. The consistent emphasis is on innovative analysis that has an empirical orientation, takes real-world institutions seriously, and is relevant to economic policy. Papers are presented and discussed at conferences held twice each year, and the papers and discussant remarks from each conference are published in the journal a few months later. Research findings are described in a clear and accessible style to maximize their impact on the economics profession and economic policymaking; the intended audience includes analysts from universities, governments, and businesses. The editors of the Brookings Papers are Douglas Elmendorf of the Brookings Institution, Gregory Mankiw of Harvard University, and Lawrence Summers of Harvard University. Topics covered by the journal include fiscal and monetary policy, consumption and saving behavior, business investment, housing, asset pricing, labor markets, wage- and price-setting, business cycles, long-run economic growth, the distribution of income and wealth, international capital flows and exchange rates, international trade and development, and the macroeconomic implications of health costs, energy supply and demand, environmental issues, and the education system. The Brookings Papers attracts leading scholars to write and discuss papers. The topics and participants are chosen by the editors with input from an advisory panel. The editors solicit most of the papers but also consider proposals submitted in response to an open "call for papers." Extensive interaction among the editors, authors, and discussants preceding each conference, as well as spirited dialogue during the conferences by economists with a broad set of expertise, bolsters the quality of the finished papers. To ensure that a variety of views are included in this intellectual process, the authors, discussants, editorial advisers, and other conference participants represent a wide range of leading universities and policy institutions. The findings of papers presented at Brookings Papers conferences are disseminated widely. In addition to being published in the journal itself, most papers are included in working paper series in which the authors participate, and many are posted on the authors' web sites. The Brookings Papers' own web site reports the agendas for past and future conferences, and it provides short summaries of the papers. In addition, the editors collect information on electronic downloads of papers as well as references to papers in traditional and electronic media; this monitoring ensures that appropriate adjustments can be made to the selection and distribution of papers over time. In sum, the Brookings Papers is a central meeting place for leading scholars analyzing important economic problems and an important resource for influencing economic understanding beyond the academic world.