JEL Classification Codes Guide


The information on these pages is to provide helpful reference information and guidelines about the JEL Classifications and the EconLit Subject Descriptors.

You can drill down to the more detailed secondary level of classifications by clicking on the JEL code links (for example, A3, H7); these contain more descriptive guidelines, keywords, and also examples of items with that specific classification.

A General Economics and Teaching
B History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches
C Mathematical and Quantitative Methods
D Microeconomics
E Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
F International Economics
G Financial Economics
H Public Economics
I Health, Education, and Welfare
J Labor and Demographic Economics
K Law and Economics
L Industrial Organization
M Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting
N Economic History
O Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth
P Economic Systems
Q Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
R Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics
Y Miscellaneous Categories
Z Other Special Topics
Q Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
Guideline:Covers studies about economic issues pertaining to three closely related fields-agriculture (Q1), natural resources including energy (Q2, Q3, and Q4), and environment and ecology (Q5). Natural resources are divided into three categories, renewable (Q2), nonrenewable (Q3) and energy (Q4). Studies about these topics in the context of economic development should be cross-classified here and under O13. Studies in the context of socialist, transitional, and other economic systems should be cross-classified similarly here and under P32 (if related to agriculture) or P28 (if related to natural resources, energy, or the environment). Studies about these topics in the context of economic systems other than capitalist, socialist, and transitional economies should be classified under P42.
Keywords:
Q00 General
Q000 Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics: General
Guideline: Covers studies about general issues related to agriculture, natural resources, the environment and ecology, including survey articles and textbooks.