Issues
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Christopher Sims, President of the American Economic Association for 2012 is a Professor of Economics at Princeton University and winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in economics along with Thomas Sargent. |
Current Issues in Economics
Economists study changes occurring in specific countries or individual sectors of an economy; some ask fundamental questions about the nature of economic decisions; some address proposals to change government policies.
Leading economists develop issues in two lectures sponsored by the American Economic Association at its annual meeting. The address of the President of the Association and an invited lecture called the Ely Lecture, named for a founder of the Association, discuss issues of the speakers' choice. More economists define their own issues in symposia where they present their work. The symposia sometimes address more focused topics than the newspaper headlines and also develop deeper understanding of economic phenomena. Economists from all over the world present their latest research at the Annual Meetings of the American Economic Association and economic agencies publish annual reports that discuss significant issues for the nation and the world.
Lectures
Orley Ashenfelter, Princeton University gave the Annual Presidential Address at the AEA Meetings in Denver in January, 2012: “Cross Country Wage Comparison.” The address appears in the March 2012 issue of the American Economic Review.
Maurice Obstfeld, University of California—Berkeley gave the annual Richard T. Ely lecture at the AEA meetings in Denver in January 2012 on “Does the Current Account Still Matter?” The address appears in the May 2012 issue of the American Economic Review.
Robert E. Hall, Stanford University, gave the Annual Presidential Address at the AEA Meetings in Denver in January, 2011: “The Long Slump.” The address appears in the March 2011 issue of the American Economic Review.
Janet Currie, Columbia University, gave the annual Richard T. Ely lecture at the AEA meetings in Denver in January 2011 on “Inequality at Birth: Some Causes and Consequences.” The address appears in the May 2011 issue of the American Economic Review.
Angus Deaton, Princeton University, gave the Annual Presidential Address at the AEA Meetings in Atlanta in January, 2010: “Price Indexes, Inequality, and the Measurement of World Poverty.” The address appears in the March 2010 issue of the American Economic Review.
Hal Varian, University of California-Berkeley, gave the annual Richard T. Ely lecture at the AEA meetings in Atlanta in January 2010 on “Computer Mediated Transactions.”The address appears in the May 2010 issue of the American Economic Review.
David Card, University of California Berkeley, gave the annual Richard T. Ely lecture at the AEA meetings in San Francisco in January 2009 on “Immigration and Inequality.” The address appears in the May 2009 issue of the American Economic Review.
Avinash Dixit, Princeton University, gave the Annual Presidential Address at the AEA Meetings in San Francisco in January, 2009, “Governance and Economics.” The address appears in the March 2009 issue of the American Economic Review.
Symposia in the Journal of Economic Perspectives
The Journal of Economic Perspectives, published four times per year, contains a collection of essays on a current issue or theme in economics, from "Financial Plumbing" that deals with the recent financial crisis to "Tests and Gender" with essays that explore explanations for gender differences in average test scores.
Access to the Symposia and other essays in the Journal of Economic Perspectives is available at AEAweb.
Annual Meetings and Reports
The American Economic Association publishes essays presented at its annual meetings. See the preliminary program of the meetings for topics that will be discussed at the next meetings.
Economic Report of the President
Each year the President's Council of Economic Advisors publishes a volume describing the progress of the economy of the United States and discussing current economic issues.
World Development Report
Each year the World Bank published a study on an important issue for the developing countries.
To learn what economists have written about any issue, consult the literature and search by subject or key word.
Students may pursue any issue of interest by looking for facts and ideas in databases and libraries.