The formative meeting of ICARE, the International Confederation of Associations for the Reform of Economics, occurred over a two-day period, 13-14 September 1993, at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, under the banner, "The Future of Economics." The conference convened at the International Center for Social Economics, and was hosted by its chairman, Professor Y. S. Brenner, and its director, J. T. J. M. van der Linden.

The structure and functions of ICARE were devised by two dozen invited participants who were involved in the leadership of American, British, and continental heterodox associations such as the Association for Evolutionary Economics, the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy, the Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy, the Association for Institutional Thought, the Belgian-Dutch Post-Keynesians, the International Society for Ecological Economics, and others. 

A preliminary organizational structure for ICARE was drafted. The accompanying statement of aims and purposes included the following items:
 

1. to publicize and help develop a multiplicity of approaches to the scientific analysis of economic activity;
2. to promote a new spirit of pluralism in economics, involving critical conversation and tolerant communication among different approaches, within and across the barriers between the disciplines;
3. to campaign for greater pluralism of theoretical approach in scientific debate, in the range of contributions to economics journals, and in the training and hiring of economists; and,
4. to coordinate the activities of economists and economic associations who share one or more of the above aims.

 

At the organizational meeting, Geoff Hodgson was named President and John Adams became Executive Director. ICARE's Board of Directors consists of designated representatives of affiliated groups. Formal incorporation of ICAPE as a Tennessee nonprofit corporation occurred on 7 November 1994, thanks largely to the effort of W. C. Neale of the University of Tennessee.

By early 1997, the ICAPE resource list included 30 professional associations, 32 academic and policy journals, 11 publishers, 16 departments, 16 centers, and 9 currently active special projects. Not all of these groups were formally affiliated with ICAPE. Total membership in the associations numbered about 5,000. This total may be compared with the size of the American Economic Association which is 22,000. There is some double-counting in the ICAPE figure, but there is also duplication of membership between ICAPE groups and the AEA. The chief point of this numerical comparison is to show that the number of persons actively involved in heterodox associations is large.

In January of 1999 in New York City, John Adams retired as Executive Director and John Harvey was elected to replace him. Adams passed on to Harvey the many materials he had assembled regarding member associates, etc., and the latter then built this web page around them. Harvey has also continued Adams' newsletter and the ASSA cooperative booth begun in 1998. During the summer of 1999 a new ICARE office was created, that of Secretary. In January of 2000, Robert F. Garnett was approved by the Board to fill that position and has served there ever since.

Also in 2000, ICARE officially became ICAPE, or the International Confederation of Associations for Pluralism in Economics. The move was approved unanimously by the Board and the report sent to interested parties read in part:
 

The argument was made that the word "reform" in "International Confederation of Associations for the Reform of Economics" does not properly characterize the nature or purpose of our organization. It suggests that we are not economics; that economics is something external to us and that our goal is to fix it. This not only dismisses ICARE's importance as a separate organization, but obscures the fact that our primary goal is to provide resources to those economists who are united in the belief that methodological pluralism and intellectual progress are complements, not to convert non-believers! It was therefore suggested that we rename ourselves the "International Confederation of Associations for Pluralism in Economics." The board felt that not only did such a title constitute a more accurate description, but that it was more constructive and positive than the original. It represents a new era for ICARE/ICAPE in which we are setting our own agenda, rather than reacting to someone else's.
 

Consistent with the organization’s new name, planning began in 2000 for an ICAPE world conference. Serving on the committee were Robert Garnett, Charley Clark, Grainne Collins, Guiseppi Fontana, Mat Forstater, and Ed O'Boyle. Work continued through 2002, when Fred Lee came on board and the Department of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, offered their facilities. A call for papers went out that summer and the conference took place in June 2003 (follow the ‘conferences’ link at left for more information). It was a great success and marked ICAPE's first major contribution to the creation of institutions encouraging pluralism, debate, and mutual respect. A volume of work begun at that conference is forthcoming through the University of Michigan Press.

Today, ICAPE offers the following services:
 

	Space to display materials at the ICAPE booth at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Association
	A triennial international conference
	An annual newsletter with announcements, reports, and other information
	A list-serve over which official announcements may be made
	Space on our web site where descriptions, contacts, links, and calls for papers may be displayed
	A bulletin board system for discussion and announcements
	A master list of all associates' sessions at the annual ASSA meeting

 

Who knows what we will be able to accomplish in our next ten years!

 

John T. Harvey
August 27, 2003
Fort Worth, Texas, USA