Science AI Journal
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Research topic

Open research questions in Economic Theory and Policy

29 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,340 Economic Theory and Policy papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • These include the ways market power is defined and measured; the use of accounting data to estimate markups; the quantitative implications of theoretical connections among markups, prices, costs, scale elasticities, and profits; and conflicting evidence on whether greater market power has led to lower investment rates and a lower labor share of income.

    Macroeconomics and Market Power: Context, Implications, and Open Questions · 2019 · DOI

  • On the other hand, this process reveals with greater clarity than others the general process of accentuation and deepening of the depen- dent articulation of the Latin American economy, since the emergence and expansion of the 'marginal pole' comes from the monopolistic hegemony in the overall structure, that is from the development almost exclusively limited to the levels most tightly controlled by the interests of international monopoly capitalism.

    The marginal pole of the economy and the marginalized labour force · 1974 · DOI

  • We underscore various gaps in the literature and articulate a future research agenda that highlights four main areas: measurement, interactions among reforms, political economy considerations, and the timing of the implementation of reforms.

    Structural Reforms and Economic Performance: The Experience of Advanced Economies · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite some successes along the way, the main goals of the Abenomics were unfulfilled during Shinzo Abe’s term of office, and Japan’s economic problems remain to be solved by the next governments.

    Polityka abenomiki jako odpowiedź na problemy gospodarcze Japonii · 2021 · DOI

  • Throughout this discussion, I characterize the congruencies and incongruencies between macro evidence and micro views of market power and, when they do not perfectly overlap, explain the open questions that need to be answered to make the connection complete.

    Macroeconomics and Market Power: Context, Implications, and Open Questions · 2019 · DOI

  • The paper evaluates the impact of each program on macroeconomic stability, arguing that direct job creation has inherent stabilization features that are lacking in the basic income proposal.

    Jakie są względne zalety makroekonomiczne i wpływ na środowisko płynące z bezpośredniego tworzenia miejsc pracy oraz dochodu podstawowego? · 2017 · DOI

  • However, even when we extend the analysis to include micro-level financialization, it is still insufficient aggregate demand that is underlying the twin diseases—secular stagnation and a growing dualization—afflicting the U.

    The New Normal: Demand, Secular Stagnation, and the Vanishing Middle Class: A Reply to James K. Galbraith and William Lazonick · 2017 · DOI

  • Other chapters also suffer from a lack of historical perspective, relying too heavily on certain sources that have not fully understood the dynamics of what was happening at the time.

    Venezuela before Chávez: Anatomy of an Economic Collapse · 2015 · DOI

  • WMFs outperform CFs under both recessionary and expansionary macroeconomic conditions, and this suggests that the greater survivability of WMFs cannot be explained merely by the fact that members exercise their control rights over the dissolution decision when outside job opportunities are scarce.

    Are Worker-Managed Firms More Likely to Fail Than Conventional Enterprises? Evidence from Uruguay · 2014 · DOI

  • Finally, it is argued that analysis of the profit rate short-term dynamics is insufficient to provide a specific characterization of the neoliberal crises in opposition to the crises of the Keynesian period in the U.

    The Cyclical Decline of the Profit Rate as the Cause of Crises in the United States (1947-2011) · 2013 · DOI

  • Although the idea is provocative, we conclude that the notion of ‘moving away from IRAs’ is insufficient to characterise the new politics of pension reform.

    Are Old-age Pension System Reforms Moving Away from Individual Retirement Accounts in Latin America? · 2010 · DOI

  • Due to a gap in the literature, which has focused little attention on the political conditions and economic motivation by which important steps were taken towards achieving autonomy, we analyze the relations between autonomy and stability from a historical-institutional perspective.

    Instituições fortes, moeda estável e Banco Central do Brasil autônomo · 2010 · DOI

  • In spite of the conflicting evidence, the IDB concludes that neoliberal reforms need to be deepened.

    The Inter-American Development Bank's Assessment of Structural Adjustment: Questionable Theory and Pre-ordained Policy · 2001 · DOI

  • My main goal in this essay is to say something about leftover open questions in macroeconomics, as well as new phenomena that need to be accommodated in early 21st century macroeconomics, and the sorts of ideas that might make progress possible.

    Toward a Macroeconomics of the Medium Run · 2000 · DOI

  • It argues that constraints placed on the formation of credit intermediaries in Latin America by poorly defined property rights and government regulatory policies produced greater concentration in the Mexican and Brazilian cotton textile industries than that which developed in the United States.

    Industrial Concentration and the Capital Markets: A Comparative Study of Brazil, Mexico, and the United States, 1830–1930 · 1991 · DOI

  • In a manner that is still insufficiently analyzed and described in the literature, one socialist country after another has embarked upon radical economic reforms.

    Economic Reform in Socialism and Inflation · 1989 · DOI

  • The crisis arises where the stock of consumer goods is insufficient to support the amount of investment undertaken in the boom; that is, it is caused by a disproportionate amount of capital goods being produced relative to consumer goods.

    MARCEL LABORDÈRE: A NEGLECTED FRENCH CONTRIBUTION TO TRADE CYCLE THEORY · 1979 · DOI

  • Its courting of headlines, seeking to justify its existence, always will incite undue attention in the news media to a whole series of matters which are lacking in real public importance.

    Incomes Policy: Completing the Stabilization Triangle · 1972 · DOI

  • Thus far we have not investigated sufficiently which factors influenced the sharp change in personal income trends after the first years of the reform.

    An Appraisal of the Implementation of the Economic Reform and Current Problems · 1970 · DOI

  • The Novotný group had a very limited knowledge of economics, and their thinking was dominated by simplified theorems of expanded reproduction which regarded high investment as the major vehicle of growth.

    The Czechoslovak economic recession, 1962–65 · 1969 · DOI

  • 11 Although its data are limited to the physical size of agricultural land (as opposed to the value of all real estate), the results of the C.

    Industrialization and the distribution of wealth in Peru · 1967 · DOI

  • While sincerely wishing for the success of such a plan, we must nevertheless examine carefully the various policies to see whether they are likely to attain the desired objectives, and if not, in what way they are lacking.

    Current Economic Problems · 1934 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Economic Theory and Policy

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Economic Theory and Policy sub-topic

This page shows what the Economic Theory and Policy literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
161 open questions
Healthcare Policy and Management
115 open questions
Monetary Policy and Economic Impact
103 open questions
Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
102 open questions
Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis
102 open questions
Healthcare Systems and Reforms
102 open questions
Financial Markets and Investment Strategies
94 open questions
Microfinance and Financial Inclusion
88 open questions
29 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 2,340 Economic Theory and Policy papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.