June 9, 2021

To: Members of the American Economic Association
From: Peter L. Rousseau, Secretary-Treasurer
Subject: Webinars and other announcements

Register now for a book launch webinar celebrating the contributions of America’s first Black economist, Dr. Sadie T.M. Alexander. The webinar will be held on June 15 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST. The book Democracy, Race, and Justice: The Speeches and Writing of Sadie T.M. Alexander recognizes the long-overlooked contributions of a pioneer of feminism, economics, and civil rights. Scheduled participants are Alexander’s daughters Mary Cannaday and Rae Alexander-Minter, great-granddaughter Nicole Lewis, the book’s editor Nina Banks, and a panel of economists including AEA President David Card. For more information, see  https://www.aeaweb.org/news/sadie-alexander-webinar-book-launch. Register for the Zoom webinar here.

The AEA Committee on Economic Statistics (AEAStat) and the Committee on Government Relations (AEACGR) jointly developed a Report to the Biden/Harris administration on Necessary Improvements for the U.S. Statistical Infrastructure – a report on which several Executive Branch officials have had questions and reactions. The report is available at https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=13507.

In May 2021, AEAStat, in collaboration with members of the National Economic Association, issued a report on the challenges and opportunities for improvement in measuring the economic consequences of systemic racism and discrimination. The report is available at https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=14646, and the findings have been presented to various statistical agencies and the Senate Budget Committee.

To keep up to date with the communications of AEACGR and AEAStat, visit the following links:

https://www.aeaweb.org/go/econstat/policymaker-comms

https://www.aeaweb.org/go/econstat/data-needs

https://www.aeaweb.org/go/govt/govt-activities

https://www.aeaweb.org/go/govt/briefings

Do you know about the AEA’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession (CSQIEP) virtual practice job talk opportunity for LGBTQ+ identified job candidates? During 2020, CSQIEP launched a successful virtual online seminar about the economics of LGBTQ+ individuals. As part of that series, CSQIEP invites LGBTQ+ PhD job candidates in any field of economics to give short (30 minute) practice job talks or pitches from September through November. If you plan to be on the academic and/or nonacademic job market this fall and would like to learn more, please contact seminar series coordinator Mike Martell (mmartell@bard.edu). CSQIEP will also have an active presence at the 2022 AEA meetings with a 'Pink Papers' session on economics research relating to LGBTQ+ individuals and its first ever session consisting of LGBTQ+ presenters of papers in other fields. The fields for the 2022 sessions will be economic history and development economics. If you are not yet on the CSQIEP email list and would like to be, please visit the CSQIEP web page at https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/committees/aealgbtq.

The AEA's Best Practices for Economists: Building a More Diverse, Inclusive, and Productive Profession at https://www.aeaweb.org/resources/best-practices offers guidelines for professional activity in four areas: conducting research, serving as colleagues, working with students, and leading departments and workplaces. Read through the pages to find practical suggestions for implementation, summaries of supporting research, and links to a multitude of online resources.

Check out the programs, services, resources, and committees of the AEA in this AEA Spotlight brochure. To stay informed, follow the new AEA twitter account @AEAInformation which is used to share information throughout the year. Content related to AEA publications will continue to be posted via @AEAjournals.