From E. Roy Weintraub's quotation of the letter by D. Wade Hand: " As officers in the History of Economics Society, with 300 members in total (180 in the US and Canada, and 120 in other countries), linked by a web- list of over 800 members in 40 countries, we want you to be aware of our concerns, and ask that you re-list HOPE and newly list our society's journal JHET as well as the third core journal in our field, EJHET. " Do I remember correctly that HES has formed committees to increase the membership in the society? In a distant past, the same theme had come up, with some expressing surprise and sadness that so few of the participants on the HES list are members, even though the membership fee is relatively small. The list members display a depth of interest and quality of engagement in the topics which is tremendous. So I am puzzled at the small membership roll. HET is the one sub-field which does not come with its own ideological baggage. At the same time, it can use the categories of analyses developed by various schools to enrich our understanding of the history of economics and provide valuable guides to its future. ( I know am blithely sidestepping the issue of 'why teach errors' etc). For example, feminist economists have made important contributions to the study of classical, Marxian and neoclassical economics by using the feminist lens. So I would like to suggest that all members of the list who come from different perspective contribute not only to the wealth of the exchanges that take place here, but also to the health of the organization which exists for our benefit. It will be one more argument in favor of its being taken seriously. Pat Gunning wrote: "This, in turn, is due to the low language requirements for econ majors of American and European universities, particularly as they apply to foreign students." Even if economics students have literary proficiency, it is of not much practical value in their studies. The enrollment in economics has lately increased (link below), but I believe it is because of the more lucrative finance studies bundled with economics, rather than economics as a social science, in all its majesty as a study of how mankind goes about satisfying its material wants. If HET is lost, many smart young economists will be deprived of ever knowing how much more their discipline has to offer them as scholars and practitioners. http://insidehighered.com/news/2005/07/18/econ Sumitra Shah