Journal history

Theoretical Economics had its origins in a project initiated by Manfredi La Manna to establish a low-cost journal in economic theory. Patrick Bolton, Drew Fudenberg, David Levine, George Mailath, and Ariel Rubinstein started working with Manfredi in the early Fall of 2002. By the late Fall of 2002, the Board had assembled a group of coeditors: Narayana Kocherlakota, Bart Lipman, Georg Nöldeke, and Martin Osborne. This group worked together until mid-2004, when disagreements about the nature of the project led them to split from La Manna and start work on setting up an Open Access journal.

At that point, Ted Bergstrom, Ed Green, and Preston McAfee joined Jeff Ely, Drew Fudenberg, David Levine, Bart Lipman, George Mailath, and Ariel Rubinstein on the Executive Board. Georg Nöldeke and Narayana Kocherlakota had dropped out of the project earlier because of the pressure of other commitments; Jeff Ely and Ed Green replaced them as coeditors. The group set up a nonprofit organization, the Society for Economic Theory, to run the journal, recruited a group of around 35 Associate Editors, and issued a call for papers in September 2005. The first issue was published in March 2006. A server at the Department of Economics at the University of Toronto hosted the journal's editorial system, and the University of Toronto Library committed to serve as a permanent archive of published articles; the only other significant expense of producing the journal was the cost of typesetting, which was covered by a modest submission fee (US$75.00).

Martin Osborne was the editor until June 30, 2013. The other members of the original group of coeditors were Jeff Ely, Ed Green, and Bart Lipman; Debraj Ray joined the group in July 2008.

At about the same time the journal started publication, the Econometric Society began considering running journals in addition to Econometrica. Eventually the Society decided to run two additional journals, and approached the Executive Board of Theoretical Economics regarding its taking over the journal. An agreement was finalized on December 25, 2008, and the first issue of the journal published under the auspices of the Econometric Society appeared in January 2010.

Papers are published in the order of receipt of the final versions. Through 2016, the order within each issue was also according to the order of receipt of the final versions. From 2017, within each issue, papers are ordered by their length. Through June 2009, issues were published quarterly and grouped into yearly volumes for hard-copy printing. From 2010 to 2018, issues were published three times a year, in January, May, and September. Starting in 2019, issues are published four times a year, in January, May, July and November. Since 2024 the journal has been online only.

Past Editor

• George J Mailath, 2013–2017

Past Associate Editors

• David S. Ahn, 2011–2020
• George-Marios Angeletos, 2007–2008
• Scott Ashworth, 2023–2026
• Susan Athey, 2009–2012
• Gadi Barlevy, 2014–2020
• Pierpaolo Battigalli, 2005–2015
• Dirk Bergemann, 2005–2009
• Ted Bergstrom, 2005–2018
• J. Aislinn Bohren, 2019–2025
• Patrick Bolton, 2005–2011
• Gabriel Carroll, 2019–2023
• Sylvain Chassang, 2012–2020
• Yeon-Koo Che, 2009–2012
• Olivier Compte, 2009–2011
• Jacques Crémer, 2005–2008
• Martin W Cripps, 2005–2009
• Rahul Deb, 2019–2025
• Piotr Dworczak, 2022–2025
• David Easley, 2005–2008
• Kfir Eliaz, 2012–2024
• Andrew Ellis, 2019–2025
• Glenn Ellison, 2005–2008
• Jeffrey Ely, 2010–2016
• Haluk I. Ergin, 2009–2011
• Hanming Fang, 2009–2012
• Alex Frankel, 2020–2026
• Amanda Friedenberg, 2016–2021
• Drew Fudenberg, 2005–2020
• Douglas Gale, 2011–2017
• Benjamin Golub, 2017–2020
• Edward Green, 2005–2010
• Veronica Guerrieri, 2009–2015
• Faruk Gul, 2015–2021
• Marina Halac, 2020–2022
• Ian Jewitt, 2005–2016
• Atsushi Kajii, 2005–2013
• Yuichiro Kamada, 2018–2024
• Michihiro Kandori, 2005–2016
• Frederic Koessler, 2016–2022
• Igor Kopylov, 2011–2020
• Dirk Krueger, 2007–2008
• Felix Kubler, 2017–2023
• Guy Laroque, 2005–2008
• Jonathan Levin, 2009–2011
• David K Levine, 2005–2022
• Gilat Levy, 2010–2016
• Bart Lipman, 2011–2018
• Qingmin Liu, 2015–2021
• Massimo Marinacci, 2005–2012
• Thomas Mariotti, 2016–2023
• David Martimort, 2005–2018
• Andreu Mas-Colell, 2006–2008
• Dilip Mookherjee, 2015–2019
• Giuseppe Moscarini, 2018–2021
• Georg Nöldeke, 2005–2023
• Wojciech Olszewski, 2008–2020
• Guillermo L Ordonez, 2015–2019
• Martin J. Osborne, 2013–2019
• Alessandro Pavan, 2010–2013
• Antonio Penta, 2019–2025
• Nicola Persico, 2011–2015
• Wolfgang Pesendorfer, 2005–2008
• Michael Peters, 2012–2015
• Michele Piccione, 2005–2012
• Andrea Prat, 2009–2021
• Marek Pycia, 2013–2022
• ROY RADNER, 2010–2013
• Debraj Ray, 2008–2011
• Arthur John Robson, 2005–2019
• Ariel Rubinstein, 2005–2025
• William H. Sandholm, 2010–2020
• Yuliy Sannikov, 2008–2011
• Thomas Sargent, 2005–2009
• Mark Satterthwaite, 2005–2010
• Florian Scheuer, 2022–2025
• Uzi Segal, 2005–2026
• Chris Shannon, 2005–2010
• Hyun Song Shin, 2005–2009
• Marciano Siniscalchi, 2005–2014
• Andrzej Skrzypacz , 2009–2011
• Joel Sobel, 2005–2012
• Yves Sprumont, 2016–2025
• Roland Strausz, 2013–2022
• Bruno Strulovici, 2022–2024
• Tomasz Strzalecki, 2015–2019
• Jeroen Swinkels, 2005–2013
• Utku Unver, 2012–2024
• Juuso Välimäki, 2020–2026
• Timothy Van Zandt, 2009–2015
• Neil Wallace, 2005–2009
• Pierre-Olivier Weill, 2022–2026
• Ivan Werning, 2015–2018
• Mark Lester Jason Wright, 2009–2015
• Muhamet Yildiz, 2008–2017
• William Robin Zame, 2008–2017