aeja-theory-model
brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills
This guide provides a methodology for integrating theoretical models into empirical economics papers, especially for journals emphasizing empirical findings (e.g., AEJ: Applied). It teaches researchers how to ensure that theoretical components—such as mechanisms, welfare statements, or counterfactuals—serve to interpret, sharpen, or guide the existing empirical estimates, rather than leading the paper or replacing the core identification provided by the design. Focus on sufficient statistics and minimal model assumptions is key.