The National Economic Association (NEA) is a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...

established in 1969, focused on initiatives in the field of

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

. The purposes of the Association are "to promote the professional lives of minorities within the profession. In addition to continuing its founding mission, the organization is particularly interested in producing and distributing knowledge of economic issues that are of exceptional interest to promoting economic growth among native and immigrant African Americans, Latinos, and other people of color." Membership in the Association is available to professionals and graduate students in Economics and related disciplines. The NEA publishes the '' Review of Black Political Economy'' and regularly collaborates with the

Allied Social Science Associations The Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) is a group of academic and professional organizations that are officially recognized by the American Economic Association (AEA) and are related to the study of social sciences. As of 2007, there are f ...

American Economic Association The American Economic Association (AEA) is a learned society in the field of economics. It publishes several peer-reviewed journals acknowledged in business and academia. There are some 23,000 members. History and Constitution The AEA was esta ...

, and American Society of Hispanic Economics.

History

The NEA was established in 1969 as the "Caucus of Black Economists" in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

at the annual economists' convention that year. Its founders, Charles Wilson and

Marcus Alexis Marcus Alexis (February 26, 1932 – May 27, 2009) was professor emeritus of management & strategy at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. He was a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and a commissioner wit ...

, with

Thaddeus Spratlen Thaddeus H. Spratlen (1930 - May 18, 2021) was an American economist who was Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. He was the first African American faculty member at Western Washington State College (no ...

, began "an organized effort to challenge the

(AEA) to engage in strategies that increase opportunities for black economists’ development." They were successful in persuading the AEA to establish a Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession (CSMGEP) and to sponsor a summer program that helps undergraduates of color prepare for graduate school admission. Founder Bernard Anderson of the

Wharton School of Business The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...

said that when the group first met, the leaders of the American Economic Association called the police. "They thought we were a bunch of radicals who wanted to disrupt the convention,” Mr. Anderson said, “when all we wanted to be was economists.” In 1975, the group was reorganized as the "National Economic Association" to focus on initiatives independent of the CSMGEP, particularly awarding recognition to Black economics for their accomplishments in the economics profession.

Activities

The annual meetings of the NEA are held in conjunction with the annual Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings each January, and include multiple panels of research presentations. In addition, the NEA collaborates with the American Society of Hispanic Economics to host a summer conference on the subject of economic problems and potential solutions for Black and Hispanic communities, as well as racial and ethnic economic disparities and policies designed to counter these disparities. Since 1977, the NEA has published '' The Review of Black Political Economy,'' a journal focusing on "research that examines issues related to the economic status of African-Americans, the African diaspora, and marginalized populations throughout the world." The Association periodically awards the Westerfield Award in acknowledgement of outstanding scholarly achievements and public service by an African-American economist. This award, established in 1973, was named after economist and ambassador

Samuel Z. Westerfield Jr. Samuel Zazu Westerfield Jr. (November 15, 1919, Chicago, Illinois – July 19, 1972, Monrovia, Liberia) was a career foreign services officer who was appointed Ambassadors of the United States, American ambassador to Liberia on July 8, 1969. Earl ...

The association also awards the Rhonda Williams Dissertation Award to junior scholars, named after multidisciplinary scholar

Rhonda M. Williams Rhonda Michèle Williams (January 1, 1957 – November 7, 2000) was an American professor, activist and political economist whose work combined economics with multiple other social fields including race and gender analysis, law, politics, public ...

. Since 2008, the NEA has collaborated with the American Economic Association's Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession (AEA-CSMGEP) and the American Society of Hispanic Economists (ASHE) to publish an annual newsletter, "Minority Report," which "showcases the people, programs, research, and activities of the three groups, which together help to increase the representation of minorities in the economics profession." There is a great deal of overlap in the leadership of the NEA and the AEA-CSMGEP, but they are separate organizations.

Westerfield Award recipients

The Samuel Z. Westerfield Award is occasionally presented to black economists "in recognition of their distinguished service, outstanding scholarship, and achievement of high standards of excellence." Past recipients of the Award: * 2021

James B. Stewart James Bennett Stewart (born c. 1952) is an American lawyer, journalist, and author. Early life and education Stewart was born in Quincy, Illinois. He graduated from DePauw University and Harvard Law School. Career He is a member of the Bar o ...

* 2018 Cecilia A Conrad * 2015

Samuel Myers, Jr Samuel L. Myers Jr. (born 9 March 1949) is an American economist and Roy Wilkins Professor of Human Relations and Social Justice in the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He has been awarded the Samuel Z. ...

* 2012 William A. Darity, Jr. * 2008

Margaret Simms Margaret Constance Simms (born 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a 21st century American economist whose work focuses on the economic well being of African Americans. She earned her BA in economics from Carleton College in 1967. She earned her M ...

* 2006 David Swinton * 2003 Bernard E. Anderson * 1995 Samuel L. Myers, Sr. * 1990 Andrew F. Brimmer * 1986 Clifton R. Wharton, Jr * 1982 Phyllis A. Wallace * 1979 Marcus A. Alexis * 1975 Sir W. Arthur Lewis * 1973 Samuel Z. Westerfield Jr (posthumous)

Association presidents

Presidents of the association: * 2023 Angelino Viceisza * 2022

Valerie Rawlston Wilson Valerie Rawlston Wilson is an American labor economist who directs the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy. She researches and writes about economic inequality in the United States in employment and trainin ...

* 2021

Nina Banks Nina Banks is an American economist who is an associate professor of economics at Bucknell University and former president of the National Economic Association. She is known for her research on the contributions of early women economists, particu ...

* 2020

Linwood Tauheed Linwood may refer to: Places Many of the place names for Linwood come from the presence of linden trees. Australia *Linwood, South Australia * Linnwood, Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road, Guildford, New South Wales Canada * Linwood, Ontario * Linwood, ...

* 2019

Omari Swinton Omari Holmes Swinton (born November 30, 1980) is an American economist who is chair of the Economics department at Howard University and a former president of the National Economic Association. Biography Swinton is the son of economist David ...

* 2018

Olugbenga Ajilore Olugbenga "Gbenga" Ajilore ( ) is an American economist who is a senior advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. Prior to his current role, he was a senior economist at the ...

* 2017

Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe (born 1966) is an American economist who is the founder and current president of the Women's Institute for Science, Equity, and Race (WISER). She is a feminist economist who has been a faculty member at an extensive list o ...

* 2016 Darrick Hamilton * 2015

Lisa Cook Lisa DeNell Cook is an American economist who has served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since May 23, 2022. She is the first African American woman and first woman of color to sit on the Board. Cook previously was a profess ...

* 2014

Trevon Logan Trevon D'Marcus Logan is an American economist. He is the Hazel C. Youngberg Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State University, where he was awarded th ...

* 2013

Warren Whatley Warren C. Whatley is an American economist who is emeritus professor of economics at the University of Michigan. He is a former president of the National Economic Association. Education and early life Whatley graduated from Shaw University in ...

* 2012 Jessica Gordon Nembhard * 2011

Juliet Elu Juliet U. Elu is an American economist who is currently Charles E. Merrill Professor of Economics and Chair of the Division of Business and Economics at Morehouse College. She was previously Vice Chancellor of Gregory University in Nigeria and ...

* 2010 Susan Williams McElroy * 2009

Peter Blair Henry Peter Blair Henry, an economist, was the ninth Dean of New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and William R. Berkley Professor of Economics and Business, and author of TURNAROUND: Third World Lessons for First World Growth' (B ...

* 2008

James Peoples James H. Peoples Jr. (born May 14, 1959) is an American economist who is a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and a former president of the National Economic Association and the Transportation and Public Utilities ...

* 2007

Gregory Price Gregory Price may refer to: * Gregory Price (economist), American economist * Gregory Price (politician), English politician {{hndis, Price, Gregory ...

* 2006 Kwabena Gyimah-Brempong * 2005

Philip Jefferson Philip Nathan Jefferson (born 1961/1962) is an American economist who serves as vice chair of the Federal Reserve. He has been a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2022. He was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden ...

* 2004

Sheila Ards Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, mean ...

* 2003 William Rodgers * 2002 Patrick Mason * 2001 Kaye Husbands Fealing * 2000 William Spriggs * 1999 Willene Johnson * 1998 Gwendolyn Flowers * 1997 Agustin K. Fosu * 1996 Shelley White-Means * 1995

Alvin E. Headen Alvin may refer to: Places Canada *Alvin, British Columbia United States *Alvin, Colorado *Alvin, Georgia *Alvin, Illinois * Alvin, Michigan *Alvin, Texas *Alvin, Wisconsin, a town *Alvin (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community Other ...

* 1994

* 1993 Cecilia A. Conrad * 1992

Arthur T. King Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

* 1991 Charles L. Betsey * 1990 Thomas D. Boston * 1989

Stephanie Y. Wilson Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian " ...

* 1988

* 1987 Barbara A. P. Jones * 1986 William A. Darity, Jr. * 1985 Richard F. America, Jr * 1984 William D. Bradford * 1983 David Swinton * 1982 Bernard E. Anderson * 1981 Alfred E. Osborne * 1980 Vincent R. McDonald * 1979

* 1978 Flournoy A. Coles * 1977 Huey J. Battle * 1976 Alfred L. Edwards * 1975 Edward D. Irons * 1974 Robert C. Vowels * 1973 Karl D. Gregory * 1972 Charles Z. Wilson * 1970-1971

References

{{authority control 1969 establishments in New York City 1969 in economics Professional associations based in the United States Business and finance professional associations Economics societies Learned societies of the United States Organizations established in 1969

History

Activities

Westerfield Award recipients

Association presidents

See also

References