Western Economic Association International


Founded in 1922, Western Economic Association International is a non-profit academic society dedicated to the encouragement and dissemination of economic research and analysis. WEAI's principal activities include the publishing of two quarterly journals, and , and the staging of a large each summer as well as smaller . includes approximately 1,800 individuals from around the world, and over 40 academic institutions, business firms, and other organizations that share WEAI's educational objectives.

Purpose

From WEAI's 2009 Bylaws: "The purposes and objectives for which the Western Economic Association International is formed shall be: the encouragement of economic research and discussion; the encouragement of freedom in economic discussion; and the issuance of publications for the purpose of disseminating knowledge on economic subjects. The corporation shall take no partisan attitude, nor will it commit its Members to any position on theoretical or practical economic questions."

Journals

Economic Inquiry

Published since 1962,, EI is a highly regarded scholarly journal in economics, publishing articles of general interest across the profession. Besides containing research on all economics topic areas, a principal objective is to make each article understandable to economists who are not necessarily specialists in the article's topic area. Over twenty Nobel Laureates are among Economic Inquiry's long list of prestigious authors. EI was one of the first journals to publish humor papers with the still highly downloaded article "Life Among the Econ" by Axel Leijonhufvud, and more recently "The Theory of Interstellar Trade: by Paul Krugman. In 2007, then editor R. Preston McAfee introduced the innovative No Revisions policy for submitted manuscripts. Published in cooperation with Wiley-Blackwell, EI's worldwide circulation is approximately 15,800. Wesley W. Wilson, University of Oregon, is the current editor.

Contemporary Economic Policy

First published in 1982 as Contemporary Policy Issues, Contemporary Economic Policy publishes scholarly research and analysis on important policy issues facing society. The journal provides insight into the complexity of policy decisions and communicates evidence-based solutions in a form accessible to economists and policy makers. CEP provides a forum for debate by enhancing our understanding of key issues and methods used for policy analysis. CEP publishes essays analyzing specific policy issues, surveys of important general subject areas, and research articles devoted to developing new methods for policy analysis. Published in cooperation with Wiley-Blackwell, CEP's worldwide circulation is approximately 15,400. Brad Humphreys, West Virginia University, is the current editor.

Conferences

Annual Conferences

Held each summer between mid-June and mid-July, WEAI Annual Conferences provide the opportunity for more than 1,000 economists from around the world to meet and exchange ideas. An average of 300 concurrent sessions are held with participants presenting individual research papers, serving as discussants for papers, chairing sessions, and also organizing entire sessions on the topics of their choice. Other academic societies with similar objectives to WEAI participate as Allied Societies regularly holding sessions and sometimes their own annual meetings in conjunction with WEAI conferences. Conference highlights include the Annual WEAI Presidential Address as well as the Association's newest member-sponsored program, the Graduate Student Dissertation Workshop.

International Conferences

Held since 1994 in cities like Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Sydney, Beijing, Kyoto, Brisbane, Santiago, Singapore, Newcastle, Shanghai, and Tokyo, the International Conferences have become a highly successful marketplace of ideas for economists from around the world. Partnerships have been established in the organizing of these conferences with universities and organizations such as Fudan University, Keio University, University of Newcastle, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Queensland University of Technology School of Business, Ryukoku University, Guanghua School of Management Peking University, Academia Sinica, and . A smaller format than the Annual Conference, the International Conference program generally consists of 80 to 100 sessions including 300 to 600 economists serving as paper presenters, discussants, chairs, and session organizers. Keynote speakers include Nobel Laureates such as James Heckman, Ken Arrow, Robert Engle, Daniel McFadden, and Peter Diamond.

Past, Present, and Future WEAI Presidents

Asterisk indicates recipient of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel