Association for Evolutionary Economics

 Call for Papers
Annual Meeting, AFEE at ASSA, San Diego, CA, USA
January 3-6, 2020

Defending the Progressive Idea

Paul D. Bush writes that “the idea of ‘progressive’ institutional change is a conceptual bridge” that makes institutional economics “a coherent body of thought in which theoretical and applied considerations can be tightly integrated” (Bush 1989, 455, emphasis added). As documented by Malcolm Rutherford, American (original) institutional economics reached the height of its influence during the interwar period, and especially during the Roosevelt years. In a 1932 speech, Presidential candidate Franklin Roosevelt called for “bold persistent experimentation” aimed at “reforming capitalism, not replacing it.”  The spasm of New Deal reforms was a political manifestation of the Progressive movement, with which institutional economics has long been identified. 

As the demand for practical solutions to pressing economic, environmental, and social problems has bubbled up from the political grassroots, the progressive idea has, predictably, come under renewed attack. To its critics, progressivism connotes a wholesale rejection of market capitalism and its supporting institutions. A robust defense of the progressive idea is, therefore, indicated.

Though submissions related to all areas of institutional economics are welcome, preference will be given to paper proposals in alignment with the conference theme. A few suggestions:

•	How does the progressive idea serve as the conceptual bridge between institutional theory and public policy?
•	Bush (1989, 455) describes progressive change as “that phase of institutional adjustment in which instrumentally warranted standards of judgment displace ceremonially warranted standards of judgment in the correlation of behavior.” What is the role of the economists in this process?
•	Institutional change is resisted because, among other factors, it causes social dislocation. Papers that develop Foster’s principle of minimal social dislocation are welcome. 
•	How to pay for infrastructure/green economy initiatives.
•	Policies designed to bring forth a “green” Kondratieff wave. 
•	Class reconciliation achieved through reforms to the working rules of labor market transactions.
•	The link between income distribution and aggregate demand generation.
•	Reforms to antitrust or intellectual property law applicable to activities subject to network externalities or the need for a common technical standard among users. 
•	Policies aimed at achieving a more socially embedded corporatism, such as the use of the ultra vires doctrine. 	

AFEE at ICAPE: This year AFEE will sponsor additional panels to be held in conjunction with the International Confederation of Associations for Pluralism in Economics (ICAPE). These sessions will be held on Monday, January 6 at the University of San Diego. Submitters should indicate if they would be available to participate on a panel on January 6. Papers presented at the AFEE-sponsored ICAPE sessions will be eligible for publication in the June 2020 issue of the Journal of Economic Issues.

Submission Requirements and Procedures

Deadline: The submission deadline is Monday, May 6, and no late proposals will be considered. Acceptance or rejection notices will be issued by early June 2019.

Membership Requirement: At least one of the authors of any paper must be a member of AFEE by the submission deadline. For registration information, browse to https://afee.net/?page=membership  or contact Eric Hake (AFEE Secretary-Treasurer) at [log in to unmask]

Submissions: Please send your proposal as an email attachment to Christopher Brown (program chair) at [log in to unmask] and include the following information:

1.	Name, professional affiliation, email address of the corresponding author, and the names and affiliations of co-authors.
2.	Title of the proposed paper
3.	JEL code(s) (browse to https://www.aeaweb.org/econlit/jelCodes.php?view=jel ).
4.	Abstract of no more than 400 words. 
5.	Please indicate your willingness to serve as a panel chair or discussant (specify fields).
6.	Be sure to indicate if you are available to present, chair, or discuss on January 6 at the University of San Diego.

Conference Proceedings: Papers presented at the AFEE meeting in San Diego are eligible for publication in the June 2020 issue of the Journal of Economic Issues. To be considered for publication, the text of your paper cannot exceed 2,850 words, with no more than four (4) pages (total) of double-spaced endnotes, references, tables, and figures. The deadline for submission to the JEI is December 16, 2019. JEI submission details will be circulated to authors whose proposals are accepted. Papers should be sent as an email attachment to William Waller, Editor of the JEI, at [log in to unmask] 

I look forward to receiving your proposal.

Christopher Brown (Program Chair)
Arkansas State University
P.O. Box 729
State University, AR 72467-0729
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