The Economic Journal is one of the founding journals of modern economics, publishing its 500^th issue in January 2005. Over the past 115 years the journal has provided a platform for high quality and imaginative economic research, earning a worldwide reputation for excellence as a general journal publishing papers in all fields of economics for a broad international readership. It is invaluable to anyone with an active interest in economic issues and is a key source for professional economists in higher education, business, government and the financial sector who want to keep abreast of current thinking in economics.

Originally launched with the aim of promoting the advancement of economic knowledge, the general aim of The Economic Journal remains consistent with that of its founders. As a general journal it welcomes submissions whether they be theoretical or applied, or orientated towards academics or policymakers. The journal also places a substantial premium on creative and provocative research. The Editors and Associate Editors are drawn from leading international research institutions and cover a wide range of expertise.  As well as providing the reader with a broad spectrum of high quality, stimulating papers the new Editorial Board is committed to providing rapid feedback to submitting authors.

The Economic Journal has three types of issue:

• Articles More than forty high quality refereed articles are published each year offering some of the best new work in theoretical, applied and empirical research from across the entire field of economics.

• Features Publishing symposia, special articles and regular features on data and technology.
  • The symposia and special articles cover topical policy-relevant questions in contemporary economics and, whilst maintaining high academic standards, are accessible to a wide readership.
  • Extensive Book Reviews by specialist economists.

• Conference Papers The Annual Conference issue is published in March each year and includes the best papers presented at the Annual Royal Economic Society Conference as chosen by the editorial board.

Staying in the Classroom and out of the Maternity Ward? The Effect of Compulsory Schooling Laws on Teenage Births
Sandra Black, Paul J. Devereux & Kjell G. Salvanes

Interpretations of Utility and their Implications for the Valuation of Health
Paul Dolan & Daniel Kahneman

Contradiction as a Form of Contractual Incompleteness
Dana Heller & Ran Spiegler

Interest Rate Restrictions in a Natural Experiment: Loan Allocation and the Change in the Usury Laws in 1714
Peter Temin & Hans-Joachim Voth

Information and Strategic Political Polarization
Juan D. Carrillo & Micael Ricardo Castanheira

The Gender Gap in Early-Career Wage Growth
Alan Manning & Joanna Swaffield

Time Consistency and the Bureaucratic Budget Competition
Kai A. Konrad & Sebastian Kessing

Games Parents and Adolescents Play: Risky Behaviours, Parental Reputation and Strategic Transfers
Ginger Jin, Lingxin Hao & Joseph Hotz