| name | jde-workflow |
| description | Use when deciding which jde-* sub-skill to invoke next, or when sequencing manuscript work from topic selection through rebuttal for a Journal of Development Economics (JDE) submission. Routes — it does not replace — the specialized skills. |
JDE Workflow Router (jde-workflow)
Overview
This is the router. It does not replace any specialized skill. It tells you which jde- skill to use at the current stage* of a manuscript aimed at the Journal of Development Economics.
Default assumption: unless the user says otherwise, treat the target as JDE — the leading field journal
in development economics, published by Elsevier and edited by Editors-in-Chief A. Foster and
K. Macours. It is highly selective: roughly 1,300 submissions a year, only about a quarter sent
for review, and roughly 6-8% published. Submission is via Editorial Manager under
single-anonymized review, with a USD 50 non-refundable submission fee for original manuscripts.
JDE has three distinctive routes: a permanent pre-results review / Registered Reports track (run
with BITSS), an AER: Insights-style short-paper limited-revision track, and a standard full-length
track — plus a three-papers-per-author-per-12-months cap and a mandatory replication / Option C
data-policy regime.
When to trigger
- The user asks "what should I do next?"
- The user hands over a draft and needs the current bottleneck diagnosed
- Work is ping-ponging between empirics, framing, writing, and response letters
- A JDE decision letter arrived and the user needs to switch into revision mode
- The user is deciding between the full-length, short-paper, and pre-results routes
Routing table
| Current symptom | Next skill |
|---|
| Idea feels small / not clearly a development-economics contribution | jde-topic-selection |
| Contribution relative to the development literature is fuzzy | jde-literature-positioning |
| The "so what for development" is undersold or buried | jde-contribution-framing |
| Empirics rest on OLS + controls; causal claim undefended | jde-identification-strategy |
| Estimation, heterogeneity, attrition, or inference choices are shaky | jde-data-analysis |
| Tables are dense; paper is not figure-forward enough | jde-tables-figures |
| Prose buries the idea; abstract/intro do not land the question | jde-writing-style |
| Need the data/code deposit, or pre-empting referee replication | jde-replication-and-data-policy |
| Unsure how JDE review works (routes, timelines, single-anonymized) | jde-review-process |
| Ready to submit via Editorial Manager; need a preflight checklist | jde-submission |
| Received an R&R; need a response-letter strategy | jde-rebuttal |
Default order
jde-topic-selection — lock a first-order development questionjde-literature-positioning — stake the contribution against the development frontierjde-contribution-framing — make the development takeaway explicitjde-identification-strategy — make the causal design credible in an LMIC settingjde-data-analysis — estimation, heterogeneity, attrition, inferencejde-tables-figures — finalize figure-forward exhibitsjde-writing-style — polish prose (abstract + intro last)jde-replication-and-data-policy — assemble the Mendeley Data depositjde-review-process — pick the right route and understand the pipelinejde-submission — Editorial Manager preflightjde-rebuttal — after the R&R
If your design is prospective, route to jde-review-process early — the pre-results review track reviews and accepts the design before results exist.
Worked routing example (illustrative)
A user arrives with a fielded cluster-randomized agricultural-extension trial, results in hand, and an unfocused draft. Diagnose the bottleneck before sequencing:
- The causal design is sound (randomized at the village level), so skip ahead of
jde-identification-strategy except to confirm clustering and attrition.
- The draft reports coefficients but no development lesson → the live bottleneck is
jde-contribution-framing, then jde-literature-positioning to stake the increment.
- Because the result is sharp and self-contained (~5,000 words, illustrative), flag the short-paper route early via
jde-review-process so the team writes to the 6,000-word / 5-exhibit cap rather than over-building.
- Only after framing and identification settle should
jde-tables-figures and jde-writing-style polish.
Stage-to-symptom quick map
| Stage symptom | Route to |
|---|
| "Is this even a development paper?" | jde-topic-selection |
| "Results exist but the lesson is fuzzy" | jde-contribution-framing |
| "A referee will call the design weak" | jde-identification-strategy |
| "An R&R letter just arrived" | jde-rebuttal |
| "Design not yet fielded" | jde-review-process (pre-results) |
Router output
【Current stage】topic / framing / identification / analysis / exhibits / writing / replication / review / submission / rebuttal
【Live bottleneck】one sentence
【Route now to】jde-<skill>
【Route candidate (full-length / short-paper / pre-results)】+ why
【Within 3-per-12-months cap?】[Y/N]
Anti-patterns
- Do not skip
jde-contribution-framing — JDE referees judge the development contribution first
- Do not let
jde-tables-figures polish exhibits while identification is still shaky
- Do not treat
jde-replication-and-data-policy as optional — data/code can be requested at the review stage
- Do not submit a fourth paper inside a 12-month window — the cap is enforced
