Production Function Estimation and Its Applications to Industries
NBER invites research on empirical production function estimation, methodological advances, and applications across various industries, with selected papers presented at a 2026 Cambridge, MA workshop.
Funder: National Bureau of Economic Research
Due Dates: September 14, 2026: Paper submission deadline (upload papers by 11:59pm ET)
Funding Amounts: Funding details not specified; typical NBER workshops provide travel support and may offer modest honoraria for presenters.
Summary: Supports research advancing empirical production function estimation and applications across diverse industries, fostering methodological innovation and sectoral analysis.
Key Information: Papers accepted for publication by December 2026 are not eligible; early career and non-NBER researchers are encouraged to apply.
Description
This opportunity supports research on the empirical estimation of production functions and their application across a range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, energy, finance, and digital services. The initiative seeks to deepen understanding of productivity, technological change, and cost structures, while encouraging methodological innovation such as new ways to measure modern production, analyze product differentiation, multi-product firms, and intangibles. Research integrating production function analysis with studies of imperfect competition (e.g., markups, vertical arrangements) is also welcomed. Both empirical and methodological studies are eligible, with a particular interest in work focusing on non-manufacturing sectors.
Selected papers will be presented at a workshop hosted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in Cambridge, MA, on December 5, 2026.
