On August 4, AFEE President and chair of the newly-formed Ad Hoc Women & Nonbinary Caucus of AFEE Mary V. Wrenn released a statement regarding the 2023 ASSA meeting, to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the current national public health crises of COVID-19, monkeypox, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade putting the health of all people who can get pregnant at risk. The full statement is below. You can also read her letter to the AEA asking for a hybrid option for the conference here.
Any AFEE members interested in joining the Ad Hoc Women & Nonbinary Caucus can email Dr. Wrenn directly at mw561@cam.ac.uk.
August 4, 2022
Dear AFEE member and conference participants,
On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision and individual states are now enabled to restrict reproductive healthcare without medical qualification.
On June 27, 2022, in light of the above decision, the ongoing pandemic, and the threat of monkeypox, I formed the Ad-hoc Women and Non-binary Caucus of AFEE to discuss what action we should take given the location of the ASSA conference in New Orleans, LA in January 2023. As a collective, we decided to send a letter (see attached) to the AEA stating the case for making the conference entirely virtual. Cristina Romer, the current president of the AEA, wrote back to tell us that the AEA plans to go ahead with the conference in New Orleans but will offer a virtual option for those who cannot or do not want to attend in person. We do not yet have information on how this will work, but rest assured you will be able to present at the conference and submit your paper for the June JEI whether or not you plan to attend the conference in person.
For anyone who cannot or will not attend the conference but for whom the option to present virtually is not feasible, the Ad-hoc Women and Non-binary Caucus of AFEE has developed a contingency plan to make sure that you are still able to appear on the conference program and to submit for the June JEI. Please contact me directly for details so that we can make the arrangements for your participation by proxy.
AFEE remains deeply committed to its members and refuses to allow institutional barriers and discrimination to stand in the way of member inclusion and participation.
In solidarity,
Mary V. Wrenn, PhD
2022 President, Association for Evolutionary Economics
Ad-hoc Women and Non-binary Caucus of AFEE
Alexandra Bernasek, current Board member
Dell Champlin, Trustee
Lynne Chester, current Board member
Paula Cole, non-voting member
Deb Figart, Trustee
Barbara Hopkins, non-voting member
Emily Hrovat, non-voting member
Valerie Kepner, non-voting member
Anna Klimina, current Board member
Jan Knoedler, Trustee
Ellen Mutari, non-voting member
Janice Peterson, Trustee
Teresa Rowell, non-voting member
Zdravka Todorova, non-voting member
Mary Wrenn, chair