The Center for Quantitative Economic Research (CQER) of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta invited the submission of papers for the workshop and midyear meeting of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) "Methods and Applications for DSGE Models." The workshop, which took place October 12–13, 2012, had a broad focus on empirical macroeconomics, with special but not exclusive attention given to research based on dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models. This research includes methodological contributions, advances in DSGE modeling such as the incorporation of learning mechanisms or asset pricing features and specific applications.

Approximately 20 to 30 participants attended the workshop, which featured six presentations on Friday, October 12, and three on Saturday, October 13. Each paper presented was followed by a general discussion.