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American Economic Association

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jelCodeGuide

JEL Classification Codes Guide

The guide provides JEL Code application guidelines, keywords, and examples of items within each classification.

The "JEL" classification system originated with the Journal of Economic Literature and is a standard method of classifying scholarly literature in the field of economics. It is used in many of the AEA's published research materials.

Use the guide to gain insight on how JEL Codes are used to classify articles, dissertations, books, book reviews, and working papers. You will also find it is helpful when adding classification codes to your own work.

Click here for printer-friendly formats of the JEL Classification System.

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; Personnel Economics
N Economic History
O Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth
P Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems
Q Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
R Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics
Y Miscellaneous Categories
Z Other Special Topics
R Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics
Guideline:Covers studies about issues treated in urban, rural, and regional economics (R1, R2, R3, and R5), and transportation economics (R4). Topics in regional economics (including urban and rural) are subdivided into four areas: R1 (General), R2 (Household Demography and Labor), R3 (Production and Firm, Housing Markets), and R5 (Government). Studies about issues related to household, demography, and labor should be cross-classified under the appropriate categories in R2 and other appropriate non-R2 categories if they are relevant, including categories in D1,J, O15 or O18 if related to economic development, or P25 or P36 if related to socialist or transitional economies. Studies about the firm should similarly be cross-classified under the appropriate R3 categories and under other appropriate non-R3 categories, including D2, L2, O12, O18, P25 or P31, if relevant.
Keywords:
R00 General
R000 Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: General
Guideline: Covers studies about general issues related to regional economics and transportation economics, including survey articles and textbooks.