PJAE covers the applied research areas like agriculture, credit, finance, savings and investment, economic policies, education, health and nutrition, industry, manpower and employment, monetary and fiscal, population, rural and urban development, trade and aid, environment, transport and communication, water and power, etc. Papers with empirical work are preferred, which is helpful for policy making issues on the Third World Countries. The target group of readers is economists in academia, research institutions, government, etc., both local and international. A free online access and free publication make it easily available. 

Pakistan Journal of Applied Economics since its inception in 1982, aims to provide its readers a unique forum for the exchange and sharing of information in the complex area of economics. The journal presents the social-economic problems, as expressed by economists, philosophers, political scientists, historians and business academics. The Journal publishes original contributions on applied issues in micro and macroeconomics. The primary criteria for selecting papers is quality and importance for the field. Papers based on a well motivated research problem that make a concrete contribution to empirical economics or applied theory are especially encouraged. It particularly fosters quantitative studies, the results of which are of use in the practical field, and thus helps to bring economic theory nearer to reality.