Recerts

About

Many researchers and practitioners in economics, computer science, and related fields wish to contribute to solving public goods funding challenges, but are unsure how to have the most impact. This journal highlights work that demonstrates that, while mechanism design is no silver bullet, it can be an invaluable tool in creating more effective funding systems and improving resource allocation for public goods.

Public goods funding is a complex problem for which solutions take many forms, from advancing theory to deploying new mechanisms in practice. Many of these approaches represent high-impact opportunities for real-world change, and simultaneously pose interesting academic research problems.

This journal aims to bring together those applying mechanism design to public goods funding challenges and facilitate cross-pollination between researchers in economics, computer science, and experts in public policy and governance.

About MD4PG

The Recerts Journal of Mechanism Design for Public Goods is a peer-reviewed venue for scholarship on collective funding mechanism design, incentive systems, and impact verification. We publish theoretical and empirical work that advances open, transparent, and decentralized approaches to allocating resources for public goods and scientific research.

Important Dates

First round submission deadline: October 11, 2025, 23:59 AoE
Editorial review period: October 12-18, 2025
Peer review period: October 19 - December 6, 2025
Accept/Reject notification date: December 7, 2025, 23:59 AoE

Call for Submissions

We invite submissions of short papers, proposals, or tutorial notebooks using mechanism design to address problems in public goods funding, including but not limited to the following topics:

Quadratic funding and variations
Retroactive public goods funding
Impact evaluation and verification mechanisms
Algorithmic governance and voting systems
Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)
Blockchain-based funding mechanisms
Market mechanisms for public goods
Incentive alignment in public goods provision
Commons management and tragedy avoidance
Open source software funding
Scientific research funding mechanisms
Environmental and climate public goods
Digital public infrastructure
Social choice theory applications
Behavioral economics in public goods contexts
Mechanism design for social impact

All theoretical and empirical approaches are welcome, from classical mechanism design to experimental economics and computational methods. Each submission should make clear why the research has (or could have) a pathway to positive impacts regarding public goods funding. We highly encourage submissions which make their data and code publicly available. Accepted submissions will be invited to give poster presentations, of which some will be selected for spotlight talks.

The journal does not publish proceedings, and submissions are non-archival. Submission to this journal does not preclude future publication. Previously published work may be submitted under certain circumstances (see the FAQ).

Submission Tracks

Recerts accepts submissions across five tracks. All submissions must explain why the proposed work has (or could have) positive impacts regarding public goods funding and mechanism design.

Research Track

Recerts publishes novel research results of significant interest to the community. Submissions should present original theoretical or empirical work that advances the field of mechanism design for public goods. This includes new theoretical insights, empirical studies, experimental results, and computational methods.

Exposition Track

Recerts publishes articles explaining, synthesizing and reviewing existing research. This includes Reviews, Tutorials, Primers, and Perspective articles. The editorial team is especially interested in explorable explanations that make complex mechanism design concepts accessible to practitioners and policymakers.

Commentary Track

Recerts occasionally publishes non‑technical essays on topics ranging from public policy to meta‑discussion of science and mechanism design. These pieces provide critical perspectives on current practices, future directions, or societal implications of public goods funding mechanisms. Please discuss intentions with editors@recerts.org prior to submission.

Datasets & Benchmarks Track

Recerts is willing to publish datasets and benchmarks relevant to mechanism design research and public goods funding evaluation. This includes datasets from funding mechanisms, experimental studies, or real-world implementations that could benefit the research community. Please discuss intentions with editors@recerts.org prior to submission.

Proposal Track

Proposals are early stage research and project ideas that outline potential research directions or methodologies. These submissions help communicate emerging concepts and seek community feedback on developing work. Proposals should provide sufficient detail to enable meaningful review and community engagement while acknowledging their preliminary nature.

Tips for Submissions

Be explicit: Describe how your proposed approach addresses public goods funding challenges, demonstrating an understanding of the application area.
Frame your work: The specific problem and/or data proposed should be contextualized in terms of prior work.
Address the impact: Describe the practical implications of your method and any relevant societal impacts or potential side-effects.
Explain the mechanism design: Readers may not be familiar with the exact techniques you are using or may desire further detail.
Justify the approach: Describe why the mechanism design method involved is needed, and why it is a good match for the problem.
Avoid jargon: Ideal submissions will be accessible both to an economics/CS audience and to experts in public policy and governance.

Addressing Impact

Improving public goods funding requires translating ideas into action. Consider your target audience and try to convey why solving the problem at hand will be useful to practitioners, policymakers, and funding organizations. Outline key metrics and be clear about how your results compare to existing methods. Ensure that from the outset, you contextualize your method and its impacts in terms of meaningfully improving public goods funding.

Mentorship Program

We are hosting a mentorship program to facilitate exchange between potential submitters and experts working in mechanism design and public goods funding. The goal is to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations and increase the quality and potential impact of submitted work.

Mentors will guide mentees during the mentorship period (October - December) as they prepare submissions. Examples of interactions may include discussing relevant related work, iterating on core ideas, and providing feedback on writing and presentation.