Conference theme: Crises and Pluralist Economics—Strategies for a way forward

The global economy continues to be buffeted by a series of crises. First, we have the ebbs and flows of the Coronavirus pandemic, the uneven public health response to the pandemic, and the regular disruptions to supply chains and economic systems. Second, we have the pandemic-related spike in inflation, driven by a variety of complex factors that are currently being debated, and with a variety of potential policy responses to these inflationary pressures. Third, Russia’s war on Ukraine is disrupting global energy and food markets, and reshaping global alliances. Fourth, we have ongoing political disruptions, with the rise of right-wing populism along with a disparate set of progressive groups in opposition, driven in large part by vast global inequality. This has most recently manifested in a far-right U.S. Supreme Court stripping the right to abortion and threatening labor rights and the existing regulatory framework. Meanwhile, we have the ongoing environmental crisis threatening catastrophic change in the near future.

Heterodox and pluralistic mainstream economists are particularly well-suited to analyze crises given their focus on real-world phenomena and the forces behind deprivation and change. This conference is open to papers, presentations, roundtables, and workshops that explore any issues in a heterodox or pluralistic fashion. We are particularly interested in papers that explore the following topics:

• How to combat the current threats to labor rights and reproductive rights;
• The root causes and possible solutions to the myriad crises facing contemporary capitalism;
• Theoretical or applied work exploring any heterodox tradition, the intersections and differences between heterodox traditions, and/or the intersections and differences between mainstream and heterodox economics; and,
• The best methods and materials to use to teach pluralistically in the current environment.

ICAPE, the International Confederation of Associations for Pluralism in Economics, is committed to a broad, pluralistic approach to economics. Founding member associations include the International Association For Feminist Economics (IAFFE), the Union for Radical Political Economics (URPE), the Association For Evolutionary Economics (AFEE), the Association For Institutional Thought (AFIT), and the Association for Social Economics (ASE). Submissions from members of these organizations are particularly welcome, as are submissions from any economist committed to a pluralistic approach to the discipline.

We welcome work from all strands of heterodox economic theory, including evolutionary, ecological, complexity, institutional, feminist, Austrian, Marxian, Sraffian, Post-Keynesian, behavioral/psychological, social, radical political, critical realism, agent-based modeling, and general heterodox economics. We are interested in research from any of the perspectives listed above, and research by mainstream economists open to incorporating a pluralistic approach. We are also particularly interested in material from graduate students, sessions on pluralistic teaching, and material on the state of pluralism in economics.

Submissions are due by Friday, September 2, 2022.

The ASSA/AEA conference is scheduled for January 6-8, 2023 in New Orleans.

• The in-person portion of ICAPE’s conference will occur immediately before the ASSA meetings, beginning at 8:00 AM on Thursday, January 5 and concluding at 6:00 PM. These sessions will be held in person at Loyola University in New Orleans, a short cab ride from the conference hotels.
• The on-line, virtual portion of the ICAPE conference will take place on Friday, January 13, 2023, with the times to be determined based on the schedules of participants.

We cannot guarantee that all rooms at the in-person conference will have adequate streaming capability, so we are dividing the conference between in-person and on-line components. All in-person presentations will take place on January 5, 2023, and all virtual presentations will take place on January 13, 2023.

All papers and panels must be submitted via the Google Forms below.
Individual papers can be submitted here: https://forms.gle/xZosKKWg1LwmCjH59

Panels, workshops and roundtables can be submitted here:   https://forms.gle/osiV3pPKVVLCJ6Pi7

Conference registration fee: $140 regular registration, or $70 low income. The registration fee includes a light breakfast, coffee, and a full buffet lunch. Online only registration fee: $70 regular/$35 low income.

Scholarships to cover conference registration fees are available to graduate students who are not currently employed full time and who are a member of one of the founding ICAPE associations (AFEE, AFIT, ASE, IAFFE, URPE).

All papers presented at the ICAPE conference will be considered for the ICAPE proceedings issue of the American Review of Political Economy.

Note that ICAPE does not arrange housing for the in-person portion of the conference. We recommend that you take advantage of the low rates obtained by the AEA for its conference, and that you attend the sessions of ICAPE founding organizations at the AEA conference.

Tentative schedule for in-person portion on Thursday, January 5, 2023:
8:00 AM, Conference begins; Check in; coffee, and light breakfast (included)
Breakout session 1: 8:30-10:15 AM
Breakout session 2: 10:30-12:15 AM
Lunch plenary: 12:20-1:55 PM (lunch included), “Reproductive and Labor Rights in the U.S.”
Breakout session 3: 2:00-3:45 PM
Coffee break: 3:45-4:15 PM
Breakout session 4:15-6:00 PM
Conference ends at 6:00 PM on January 5^th

The schedule for the virtual portion of the conference on Friday, January 13 will be determined later, based on the schedules of the online presenters.

For additional information, contact Geoff.Schneider@Bucknell.edu.

Statement regarding attending the ICAPE conference in Louisiana in the wake of the Supreme Court Decision on abortion and the state of Louisiana’s law banning abortions:

ICAPE recognizes that Louisiana’s restrictions on healthcare place an undue burden on pregnant people in the economics profession and others who are forced to balance the risk of needing medical care that may be unavailable in Louisiana with their professional need to attend the conference. We also recognize the different political strategies that ICAPE participants may want to employ to effect legal changes, including boycotting all events in Louisiana. At the same time, ICAPE provides an important professional and networking outlet for heterodox economists who need to attend the ASSA conference and especially for those who need to be listed on a conference program in order to secure travel funding. And, ICAPE can use its presence in New Orleans to bolster local efforts to effect changes and to connect with local activist groups. As a consequence, ICAPE has adopted a three-pronged strategy. 1. ICAPE has arranged a second day of the conference, Friday, January 13, 2023, for those who wish to give a presentation at ICAPE but will not be attending the Louisiana conference. All virtual presentations will take place on this second date. 2. ICAPE will endeavor to stream sessions for conference participants who register for the conference but choose not to attend in person. Our ability to stream sessions is limited by the technology available in particular conference rooms and the willingness of conference participants to conduct and participate in streamed sessions, so we expect the streaming of sessions to be uneven. This is why all virtual presentations will take place during the virtual portion of the conference on January 13^th.  3. ICAPE will try to use the conference as a way to promote political mobilization around the issue of reproductive and labor rights. This includes a plenary session and additional panels devoted to the topic. We will reach out to local activists as part of this effort.

If you have additional ideas regarding how the ICAPE conference can support efforts to improve reproductive rights and support political mobilizations on this and other important economic issues, please contact Geoff Schneider, the ICAPE executive director and conference organizer.