The 15th Summer Institute for the Preservation of the History of Economics will be held at the University of Richmond, June 5-8, 2015.  The Institute offers a forum for graduate students and distinguished scholars to present work in progress or more polished papers to a lively audience. Our mission is to help young scholars connect in a workshop setting with young and eminent scholars in the field.  Past speakers include Brad Bateman, Mauro Boianovsky, Marcel Boumans, the late James Buchanan, Dave Colander, Evelyn Forget, Dan Hammond, Samuel Hollander, Kevin Hoover, M. Ali Khan, Anthony Laden, David Levy, Charles McCann, Deirdre McCloskey, Steve Medema, Phil Mirowski, Leon Montes, Mary Morgan, Maria Pia Paganelli, Sandra Peart, Malcolm Rutherford, the late Warren Samuels, Eric Schliesser, the late Gordon Tullock, Anthony Waterman, and Roy Weintraub.

For the 2015 session, we invite proposals on any topic in the history of economic thought. New participants are welcome, as are recommendations and submissions from any and all interested parties. We welcome suggestions and proposals in any area of the History of Economics.

New work on Adam Smith is always welcome.

We continue our interest in the London School of Economics and Thomas Jefferson Center at the University of Virginia. Ronald Coase provides the most obvious connection between the two.  

In 2012 we were enormously fortunate to have two fine papers on Neville Keynes who was both an important economist and an important logician.  Might we hope for more papers considering workers in the intersection between economics and logic?

Now that natural experiments are widely used for identification of econometric models, we’d encourage papers on the history of natural experiments. John Snow’s work on cholera and the Milton Friedman-George Stigler use the SF earthquake as an exogenous shock to the housing market are common knowledge. But those are hundred years apart; is there anything in the gap?

We anticipate that the Institute will be able to offer honoraria for presenters and students. Participation by upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in economics or related disciplines is encouraged.

Conference events include good coffee and continental breakfasts, lunches and several dinners. Details about travel, housing and other matters will be posted early in 2015.

Please send expressions of interest, topics of interest, paper proposals or queries to:

David M. Levy, Professor of Economics, George Mason University [log in to unmask].

Sandra J. Peart, Dean, Jepson School of Leadership Studies [log in to unmask]