Research Ideation

Purpose

This skill helps economists generate and refine research questions by applying economic thinking frameworks. It guides the process from observing phenomena to formulating testable hypotheses.

When to Use

• Starting a new research project
• Brainstorming dissertation topics
• Finding angles for policy analysis
• Developing extensions of existing work

Instructions

Step 1: Understand the Starting Point

Ask the user:

1. Do you have a phenomenon, puzzle, or data source in mind?
2. What field/subfield of economics?
3. What's your methodological preference? (Theory, empirical, structural)
4. Any constraints? (Data access, timeline, etc.)

Step 2: Apply Ideation Frameworks

Use these approaches:

1. The Puzzle Approach

• What's surprising about current patterns?
• What contradicts conventional economic wisdom?
• Where do standard models fail?

2. The Policy Approach

• What policies lack rigorous evaluation?
• What natural experiments remain unexploited?
• What interventions might solve important problems?

3. The Data Approach

• What new data sources have become available?
• What can existing data tell us that hasn't been explored?
• What linkages between datasets are possible?

4. The Extension Approach

• How can seminal papers be extended?
• What mechanisms remain unexplored?
• Can methods from one field apply to another?

Step 3: Evaluate and Refine

For each idea, assess:

• Feasibility: Can this be done with available data/methods?
• Contribution: What's new here?
• Interest: Who cares about this question?
• Identification: Can effects be credibly estimated?

Example Interaction

User Query: "I'm interested in labor economics and have access to LinkedIn data"

Generated Response:

Research Ideas: LinkedIn Data × Labor Economics

1. Network Effects in Job Search

Question: How do professional networks affect job transitions and wage changes?