Midwest Economics Association

Midwest Economics Association is a professional association that brings together scholars, instructors, and practitioners from the Midwestern United States and beyond to advance the study of economics and related social sciences. Founded in 1930, the organization hosts annual meetings, publishes research, and awards prizes to foster scholarly exchange among members affiliated with institutions such as University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and Indiana University Bloomington. The association's activities intersect with work produced at centers and institutes like the National Bureau of Economic Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and American Economic Association.

History

The association was established in 1930 amid institutional growth at universities including University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Minnesota, Purdue University, Iowa State University, and Michigan State University. Early leaders included faculty with ties to research programs at Carnegie Mellon University and policy networks connected to the Federal Reserve System, especially the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. During the postwar period, membership expanded alongside programs at Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University, reflecting collaborations with scholars involved in projects at RAND Corporation and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The association adapted through waves of methodological change influenced by contributors associated with MIT, Columbia University, Stanford University, and the rise of computational techniques shared by centers like Los Alamos National Laboratory; it also engaged with regional initiatives led from places like Cleveland Clinic urban research groups and state policy offices in Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan.

Mission and Activities

The association's stated mission emphasizes fostering research dissemination among faculty and graduate students from institutions including Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, Case Western Reserve University, University of Notre Dame, and University of Iowa. Activities include organizing panels that feature work tied to foundations and funders such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The association promotes interdisciplinary dialogue connecting scholars from departments at Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, and Brown University with practitioners from Department of Labor (United States), state treasuries, and municipal research offices like Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. It supports pedagogical initiatives reflecting curricula at institutions such as Temple University, University of Cincinnati, and Michigan Technological University, and collaborates with journals and presses like The American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, and University of Chicago Press.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and practitioners affiliated with colleges and universities including Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, Marquette University, Kansas State University, and University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. The governance structure features an elected board with roles analogous to positions at organizations such as the American Association of University Professors and the Modern Language Association, and officers often hold concurrent appointments at research centers like Brookings Institution or policy positions within the Congressional Budget Office. Annual elections mirror practices used by scholarly societies including the American Political Science Association and Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. Committees coordinate programming in partnership with academic departments at University of Missouri, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Kentucky, and regional policy groups like the Midwest Governors Association.

Conferences and Publications

The association's flagship event is its annual meeting, held in metropolitan hubs such as Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Cleveland, attracting presenters from research institutions like University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Cornell University, and New York University. Conference sessions often showcase work that appears in outlets including Econometrica, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies, and specialty periodicals produced by university presses such as Princeton University Press and Oxford University Press. The association disseminates selected proceedings and abstracts and coordinates symposia with collaborators such as National Science Foundation, American Statistical Association, and regional economic development organizations like the Midwest Council on Economic Education. Panels frequently invite speakers with affiliations to think tanks such as Cato Institute, Center for American Progress, and Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Awards and Prizes

The association recognizes outstanding scholarship and teaching with awards modeled on honors given by entities such as the John Bates Clark Medal and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in spirit, while remaining regionally focused. Prizes are named for notable economists and benefactors associated with Midwestern institutions, and past recipients have held positions at universities including University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, University of Michigan Business School, Ohio State Fisher College of Business, and Indiana Kelley School of Business. Award ceremonies often coincide with annual meetings and attract attendees from public agencies like U.S. Department of Commerce and scholarly associations including the Econometric Society and Regional Science Association International.

Category:Academic organizations based in the United States Category:Professional associations