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American Economic Association

{{Short description|Learned society in the field of economics}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use American English|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox organization

|image = American Economic Association logo.svg

|image_border =

|size =

|caption =

|motto =

|formation = 1885

|members = 23,000

|status = Learned society in economics

|purpose = Encourage research, publication, and free discussion of economic topics{{Cite web |url=http://www.aeaweb.org/PDF_files/AEA_Bylaws.pdf |title=AEA Bylaws |access-date=2012-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022235054/http://www.aeaweb.org/PDF_files/AEA_Bylaws.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-22 |url-status=dead }}

|headquarters = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

|region_served = United States

|leader_title = President

|leader_name = Lawrence F. Katz
Harvard University

|main_organ = Executive Committee{{cite web |url=http://www.aeaweb.org/AboutAEA/board.php |title=AEA Officers |access-date=2017-01-22 }}

|budget =

|website = {{URL|www.aeaweb.org}}

}}

The American Economic Association (AEA) is a learned society in the field of economics, with approximately 23,000 members. It publishes several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Review, and the Journal of Economic Perspectives.{{Cite journal |last=Hoover |first=Kevin D. |last2=Svorenčík |first2=Andrej |date=2023 |title=Who Runs the AEA? |url=https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20221667 |journal=Journal of Economic Literature |language=en |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=1127–1171 |doi=10.1257/jel.20221667 |issn=0022-0515|url-access=subscription }}

History and constitution

The AEA was established in 1885 in Saratoga Springs, New York{{cite web |url=https://www.aeaweb.org/AboutAEA/gen_info.php |title=History and Objectives |publisher=American Economics Association |access-date=February 3, 2015}} by younger progressive economists trained in the German historical school, including Richard T. Ely, Edwin Robert Anderson Seligman and Katharine Coman, the only woman co-founder;Vaughn, Gerald F. (2004). "Katharine Coman: America's first woman institutional economist and a champion of education for citizenship." Journal of Economic Issues 38(4): 989–1002. {{ISSN|0021-3624}}{{Rp|989}} Since 1900, it has been under the control of academics.{{cite journal | last1 = Bernstein | first1 = Michael A. | year = 2008 | title = A Brief History of the American Economic Association | url = https://zenodo.org/record/1230671| journal = American Journal of Economics and Sociology | volume = 67 | issue = 5| pages = 1007–1023 | doi = 10.1111/j.1536-7150.2008.00608.x }}The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd Edition (2008), [http://www.dictionaryofeconomics.com/article?id=pde2008_A000089&edition=current&q&topicid=&result_number=1 American Economic Association (abstract)].

The Purposes of the Association are the following:

1) The encouragement of economic research, especially the historical and statistical study of the actual conditions of industrial life;

2) The issue of publications on economic subjects;

3) The encouragement of perfect freedom of economic discussion. The Association says that it takes no partisan attitude, nor does it commit its members to any position on practical economic questions. The Association publishes an academic journal in economics, namely, the American Economic Review.{{cite journal | last1 = Oswald | first1 = Andrew J. | year = 2007 | title = An Examination of the Reliability of Prestigious Scholarly Journals: Evidence and Implications for Decision-Makers | url =http://austrianeconomists.typepad.com/weblog/files/Prestigeous_Scholarly_Journals.pdf | journal = Economica | volume = 74 | issue = 293| pages = 21–31 | doi = 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2006.00575.x | s2cid = 2688339 }}Cynthia Clark Northrup, "American Economic Association", The American economy: a historical encyclopedia, Volume 2, ABC-CLIO, 2004, {{ISBN|1-57607-866-3}}, pp. 9–10.

Once composed primarily of college and university economics teachers, the Association, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, now attracts increasing members from business and professional groups. Today, the Association has about 23,000 members, and over half are academics. About 15% are employed in business and industry, and the remainder largely by federal, state, and local government or other not-for-profit organizations.

The leadership of the AEA has been dominated by academics from six academic institutions: Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Columbia, Stanford, and Princeton.

Activities

The AEA, in conjunction with over 50 associations in related disciplines known as the Allied Social Science Associations, holds a three-day annual meeting in January to present papers on general economic subjects.{{Cite journal |last=Siegfried |first=John J. |date=2008 |title=History of the Meetings of the Allied Social Science Associations since World War II |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27739749 |journal=The American Journal of Economics and Sociology |volume=67 |issue=5 |pages=973–984 |doi=10.1111/j.1536-7150.2008.00606.x |jstor=27739749 |issn=0002-9246|url-access=subscription }}American Economic Association, [https://www.aeaweb.org/conference/about About the AEA Annual Meeting], accessed 27 February 2023 The annual meeting features about 500 scholarly sessions. A placement service to assist employers and job applicants begins a day before the meetings. A continuing education program is held immediately after the annual meeting. Topics vary from year to year.

AEA 2025 - Scene 03.jpg|President Janet Currie presents at AEA 2025

AEA 2025 - Scene 04.jpg|[https://www.china-ces.org/ Chinese Economist Society] AEA 2025 Reception

AEA 2025 - Scene 06.jpg|AEA committees such as [https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/committees/csqiep CSQIEP] host events

AEA 2025 - Scene 08.jpg|Poster boards displayed at AEA 2025

AEA 2025 - Scene 01.jpg|Many non-economists also participate, such as AI/ML pioneer Tom M. Mitchell

The AEA publishes three economics journals: the American Economic Review, the Journal of Economic Literature, and the Journal of Economic Perspectives. In 2009, it began to publish four new area-specific journals, collectively American Economic Journal (AEJ), reporting on applied economics, economic policy, macroeconomics, and microeconomics. The AEA recognizes annually a Best Paper Award for papers published in each of the four areas.{{cite web|url=http://www.aeaweb.org/honors_awards/aej_best_papers.php|title=American Economic Association|website=aeaweb.org|access-date=9 April 2018}}

The AEA also publishes AEA Papers and Proceedings each May, featuring papers presented at the AEA meetings in January. Until 2017, these papers were published in the May issue of the American Economic Review.{{cite web |title=About AEA Papers and Proceedings |url=https://www.aeaweb.org/journals/pandp/about-pandp |publisher=American Economic Association |access-date=14 June 2020}}

The AEA also produces EconLit, the AEA's electronic bibliography. It is a comprehensive index to peer-reviewed journal articles, books, book reviews, collective volume articles, working papers, and dissertations. Compiled and abstracted in a searchable format, EconLit indexes 125 years of economic literature worldwide. It follows the JEL classification codes of the Journal of Economic Literature.

The AEA sponsors RFE: Resources for Economists on the Internet, an online source available to the general public without subscription. It catalogs and annotates 2,000+ internet sites under some 97 sections and subsections.{{cite web|url=http://www.aeaweb.org/rfe/|title=American Economic Association: RFE|website=aeaweb.org|access-date=9 April 2018}} RFE is currently updated on a monthly basis.

The AEA resource, Job Openings for Economists (JOE) originated in October 1974, and lists job openings for economists. It is published electronically monthly (except January and July).

Each year, the AEA recognizes the lifetime research contributions of four economists by electing them Distinguished Fellows. The Association also awards the John Bates Clark Medal for outstanding research accomplishments in economics annually to a scholar under the age of 40; it is often referred to as the "Baby Nobel," as many of its recipients go on to become Nobel Laureates.{{cite news| url=https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/04/22/handicapping-economics-baby-nobel-the-clark-medal/ | work=The Wall Street Journal | title=Handicapping Economics' 'Baby Nobel,' the Clark Medal | first=Justin | last=Lahart | date=April 22, 2010}}

Association presidents

{{as of|2025}}, the president of the association is Lawrence F. Katz.{{cite web |title=American Economic Association Executive Committee |url=https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/leadership/officers/executive |publisher=American Economic Association |access-date=24 May 2024}} {{asof|2021|post=,}} 18% of presidents have been alumni{{cn|date=March 2023}} and 20% faculty of Harvard University.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

Past presidents of the association:{{cite web |title=Past Presidents |url=https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/leadership/officers/past-officers/presidents |publisher=American Economic Association |access-date=14 June 2020}}

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Distinguished Fellows

Distinguished Fellow honorees include:An AEA site listing all Distinguished Fellows and, since 2004, accompanying linked AEA statements is [http://www.aeaweb.org/honors_awards/disting_fellows.php here.] Accompanying statements for years before 2004 may be found in the following year of the American Economic Review, issue no. 3 (June), on two unnumbered front pages, also accessible electronically, as at JSTOR.

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See also

References

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External links

  • {{Official website|http://www.aeaweb.org}}

{{Presidents of the American Economic Association}}

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Category:1885 establishments in New York (state)

Category:1885 in economic history

Category:Business and finance professional associations

Category:Economics societies

Category:Organizations based in Nashville, Tennessee

Category:Scientific organizations established in 1885

Category:Professional associations based in the United States

Category:Member organizations of the American Council of Learned Societies