Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale
New Haven, Connecticut,
September 12-14, 2008
Alan L. Olmstead, President
"The Engines of Growth: Innovation, Creative Destruction, and Human Capital Accumulation"
The Program Committee for the 2008 Economic History Association Meetings -- Paul Rhode, University of Arizona (Chair);Werner Troesken, George Mason University; Tracy Dennison, California Institute of Technology; and Ken Pomeranz, University of California, Irvine -- welcomes proposals for individual papers, as well as for entire sessions. As is the rule, papers on all subjects in economic history are welcome, but a number of sessions will be devoted to the theme "The Engines of Growth: Innovation, Creative Destruction, and Human Capital Accumulation."
The analysis of the causes and consequences of economic growth is central to the study of economic history. Growth takes place in a legal, political, and social context and the innovations that drive growth are often opposed by vested interests that expect to lose from the changes. Creative Destruction, whereby revolutionary innovations both spawn entirely new ventures and undermine the value of existing investments, appears to be an inevitable part of the long-run growth process. Understanding the political economy of institutional change and innovation is of special interest. This is particularly true for human capital and information given their public good characteristics. The Program Committee invites papers and sessions on this theme dealing with experiences from a broad range of geographical regions, time periods, and institutional settings.
Papers and session proposals should be submitted on line at: http://eh.net/eha/meetings/prop_08.php. The following rules and procedures apply. The due date is January 31, 2008. Paper proposals should include a 3-5 page précis and a 150-word abstract suitable for publication in the Journal of Economic History. By vote of the Board of Trustees, the corresponding author must be a current member of the Association (to join the Association, please go to http://eh.net/eha/). Papers should in all cases be work in progress rather than accepted or published work; submitters have a responsibility to let the program committee know if the proposed paper has been submitted for publication. Submissions for entire sessions should include no more than three papers and each proposal should be submitted separately. The committee reserves the right to determine which papers will be included in those sessions that are accepted. Finally, those who had a paper accepted by the regular program committee for the 2007 meeting (Austin) must wait two years before submitting again.
The dissertation session convened by Kevin O’Rourke (Trinity College, Dublin) and Zorina Khan (Bowdoin College) will honor six dissertations completed during the 2007-2008 academic year. The submission deadline is June 1, 2008. The Alexander Gerschenkron and Allan Nevins prizes will be awarded to the best dissertations on non-North American and North American topics. Note that students may not submit both to the dissertation session and the regular program, but there is a two year window within which a dissertation may be submitted for consideration.
Graduate students are encouraged to attend and the Association offers subsidies for travel, hotel, registration, and meals, including a special graduate student dinner. A poster session welcomes work from dissertations in progress.
For further information, including detailed travel options to New Haven, check the EHA meetings page (http://www.ehameeting.com), or contact Meetings Coordinator Jari Eloranta at
