Getting to know AAEA

What is the AAEA?

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) is a professional association for applied economists studying topics including agricultural, food, regional, environmental, natural resource, and development economics. Historically, it has been the main professional association for economists working in agricultural and applied economics departments within Colleges of Agriculture (or their current iterations) at Land Grant universities, and many members are associated with these institutions in some way (as faculty or graduates). However, many members also serve in governmental, private-sector, non-profit and other educational organizations. The vision and mission of the AAEA can be found here.

Who can be a member of AAEA?

AAEA is open to professional economists in academia, government, industry, and non-profit sectors, as well as post-secondary students at all levels. While based in the U.S. and U.S.-centric in its orientation, it is open to economists and students from around the world and members working on topics of relevance to regions around the world. In addition, economists from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and students get a discount on membership. Additional information on membership can be found here.

What does the AAEA do?

AAEA has five academic publications, organizes an in-person meeting annually that is typically held within the U.S., and serves as a venue for sharing information and providing programming throughout the year that is relevant to its members. AAEA is member led and run, supported by a small professional staff. Active member engagement is critical to ensure that the association is evolving over time to meet the wants and needs of all members. To learn more about the operation of AAEA and to review Executive Board minutes and the association budget, go to About AAEA.

What does membership in AAEA get you?

Membership in AAEA gives you online access to all AAEA journals (from early access to the most recent articles to the oldest articles in the archive), a subscription to the AAEA email newsletter “The Exchange”, the opportunity to present at the Annual Meeting (all presenters must be members), and the ability to join sections, serve on committees, etc. Additional information about the benefits of membership can be found here. 

Who is the AAEA Board of Directors?

The Board of Directors is made up of AAEA members elected by the membership to serve. It is the governing body of the association. The  members elected serve a 3-year term. There are 9 members in total, with 3 of the 9 serving on the Executive Board. The Executive Board is made up of the Past President, President, and President-Elect. The President serves a 1-year term, but serves as President-Elect the preceding year and Past President the following year, so essentially still has a 3-year term. The candidates for the Board and President-Elect each year are selected by a nominating committee. The Election is held between April 15 and May 15 and all members then have the option to vote on these nominees (President-Elect and two directors each year). While members outside the committee cannot nominate themselves or others, there is a place on the ballot to suggest potential nominees for AAEA President or AAEA Board of Directors. Providing names is a great pathway for communicating to the Nominating Committee who you’d like to see in a leadership role in the association.

What are AAEA Committees?

AAEA committees are groups of individuals that undertake specific activities that are core elements of the association’s work. Committee members are appointed by the AAEA President annually and serve 3-year terms. Chairs of committees are selected by the AAEA President from among current committee members. If you are interested in becoming an AAEA Committee member please watch for the call for volunteers published annually in the AAEA newsletter, The Exchange. Committees meet virtually throughout the year to discuss their business and once annually in-person on the Sunday of the AAEA Annual Meeting. At present, these committees are not funded. 

What are sections?

Sections are affinity groups within the association and are a great avenue through which to make connections. They are organized around a variety of themes including research topics (e.g., Health), member identity or support for members of that identity (e.g., the Committee of Women in Agricultural Economics, or CWAE), or type of work (e.g., Extension), or some combination. You can be a member of as many sections as you like. You can become a member of a section when you renew your AAEA membership or at any point in time through your AAEA account online. Some sections charge fees, which help support section activities. Many sections have reduced fees or no fee for students and members from low and middle income countries. 

The sections engage in activities throughout the year. Each section has a listserv which provides information about topics relevant to section members including job opportunities, calls for special issues or papers, conference announcements, and activities organized by the section throughout the year. If you would like to become more involved in section leadership or organizing section activities, reach out to the chair of the section listed on the AAEA website. 

Section chairs are elected by the members of the section. These elections happen concurrently with the AAEA Board elections. You will have the opportunity to vote for the leadership of any sections of which you are a member. If you are interested in running for a position in the section, you can contact the current section chair. Sections are often eager to have people volunteer for leadership roles. For those new to the profession, these can be a great way to develop your CV as well as  develop section programming that meets your needs and interests. 

Most sections hold business meetings at the AAEA Annual Meeting or virtually around the same time of year. These meetings are an opportunity to learn about the section if you're not sure that you would like to be a member. For existing members, they are a great time to give input about what you'd like to see the section do more/less of.

What is The Exchange?

The Exchange is a bi-weekly e-newsletter of the association and is sent via email to all members. It may contain the following information: a message from the AAEA President, the People Section (promotions, resignations, retirements, etc.), announcements about AAEA events and opportunities, and other news. 

What is Members in the News?

Members in the News is a separate e-newsletter sent to members weekly on Monday mornings. It is a listing of recent media (interviews, articles, op-eds, etc.) in global, national, state or local news sources featuring AAEA members. To submit a quote from a news source, use this online form (or reach out to Allison Ware, the Senior Communications & Membership Manager) that asks for your name, affiliation, and link to the article in which you were quoted in. While some departments have communications staff that do this for them, many do not. Members are encouraged to self submit to gain exposure and peer recognition for this important communications work. 
 

What is the AAEA Annual Meeting?

The AAEA Annual Meeting is the main gathering for the professional association and currently happens every year in late July or early August. 

Meeting logistics

The location rotates to different places around North America and is usually held at a major hotel. The Annual Meeting begins on a Sunday with undergraduate and graduate student events and competitions, as well as an opening lecture with a reception on Sunday evening. The meeting continues for two days with the closing lecture on Tuesday midday. Concurrent sessions run for Monday and Tuesday throughout the day. There is usually a plenary session on Monday morning and on Tuesday morning. Committee meetings, section meetings, and graduate student competitions (hosted by the Graduate Student Section), usually happen Sunday during the day, so it may be good to plan to get in Saturday night if you plan to be part of those. Each year there are also Pre-conference and Post-conference Workshops organized by different groups. These workshops are usually held on the days immediately preceding and immediately following the meeting (e.g., Saturday or Wednesday). These Preand Post-conference workshops have an additional fee associated with them. 

Eating at the meeting

The conference registration fee does not include meals. There are several paid luncheons during the meeting that you can sign up for and pay for when you register; they are organized by specific sections of AAEA. These luncheons usually have a speaker and come with a plated lunch. Receptions usually have hors d'oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages available for free and in some cases alcoholic beverages available for purchase. The reunions that occur on Sunday and Monday night often feature complimentary hors d'oeuvres, non-alcoholic beverages, and alcoholic beverages until they run out, paid for by the various hosting departments.

Different presentation types at the meeting

There are several different types of presentations at the AAEA Annual Meeting. There are usually four plenary sessions. These are highly distinguished speakers invited by the AAEA Board. The Gordon Rausser Keynote Address on Sunday is often somebody who is not an economist. The Monday morning plenary is the Presidential Address by the incoming president of AAEA. The Tuesday morning plenary is the Fellows Address given by an AAEA Fellow, and the final Tuesday midday plenary is the Galbraith Forum given by a distinguished Economist who has been invited by the Association. Along with the plenaries there are several different types of presentations. There are Invited Papers, Organized Symposia, Track Sessions, Selected Presentation Papers (organized as either regular with 3-4 presentations or a Lightning Sessions with 8-9 presentations), and Selected Presentations Posters. These are organized in the seven concurrent sessions on Monday and Tuesday of the meeting. 

Reunions & Receptions at the meeting

Reunions & Receptions are hosted by some departments of applied economics on Sunday and Monday nights. While they are organized around the idea that people with current or past affiliations with these universities may want to gather together, they are open to all conference attendees. These receptions often feature complimentary hors d'oeuvres, non-alcoholic beverages, and alcoholic beverages until they run out, paid for by the various hosting departments.

How do I apply to present at the AAEA Annual Meeting?

Selected Presentations

AAEA opens the abstract management system for each Annual Meeting the November of the prior year. Selected Presentation submissions should be abstracts of 1-2 pages in length. You will have the opportunity when submitting your abstract for consideration to choose whether or not you would like to be considered for a paper, a poster, or either. The Selected Presentation Paper abstract submission deadline is usually mid-January, with notification in March. Abstracts can be accepted as a Selected Presentation (20 minute presentation), a Selected Presentation Lightning Session (7 minute presentation), or a Selected Presentation Poster. If accepted, completed Selected Presentation Papers and Posters must be uploaded to the AAEA Abstract management system by May before the Annual Meeting. The AAEA Business office will automatically send final papers to AgEcon Search before the meeting. Papers can still be updated with AgEcon Search after the May deadline by contacting AgEcon Search directly. Conference papers are not expected to be the same length or quality as a published paper but can be valuable because they serve as a white paper on the topic allowing for attribution even while the work is still in review at a journal or still in progress. Conference papers cannot already be published in any journal or publication prior to the Annual Meeting. Once submitted, selected paper abstracts go through a double blind peer review. The selected papers committee invites subject matter experts to serve as topic leaders for review purposes. The current topics are:

Though the above list has some similarities to AAEA Sections, the topic leaders and reviewers elected by the Selected Presentations Committee have this preset list of topics. The topic leaders then invite reviewers for the selected paper abstracts. Each Selected Presentation Paper abstract is reviewed by several reviewers. There's currently no systematic process to be considered for the role of topic leader or selected paper abstract reviewer. If you have not been invited to one of these roles and are interested in serving in one of them, consider reaching out to the Selected Presentations Committee to discuss how you can be involved. In recent years the Selected Presentation Paper sessions have become more competitive; posters and lightning sessions were added in part as a way to expand access to the meeting.

Track Sessions

Track Sessions are a certain amount of sessions allocated to each  section. Track Session proposals are solicited by and reviewed by sections and historically are much less competitive than Selected Presentation Papers. If accepted by the section,there's no further review process by an AAEA committee. Furthermore Track Sessions do not have a paper requirement associated with them. Sometimes rather than being a research session they are organized as a panel or round table on a topic. Because of this they are somewhat more flexible than your standard selected presentation submission.

Organized Symposia

Organized Symposia are panels or other presentations on a topic of current interest to a wide range of members.Organized Symposia are submitted in December usually and offer a flexible presentation format. For example you could have an Organized Symposium on AI and economics and have a panel of speakers. 

Student Competitions

The Undergraduate Student Section (SS-AAEA) organizes an Academic Bowl and several other competitions at the AAEA Annual Meeting. The Graduate Student Section (GSS) has organized a Case Study Competitions, a Policy Communication Competitions, an Extension Competitions, and a Local Food Data Visualization Challenge in the recent meetings. These competitions generally offer students an opportunity to learn new skills and present their work to expert judges, and winners receive cash awards. Travel funds may be available for some competition participants. 

Invited Papers 

Invited Papers are specifically invited by the association and unsolicited invited papers are not allowed. 

What are AAEA Publications?

The AAEA journals are published by Wiley on behalf of the association, and managed by an Editorial Board. AAEA membership is not a requirement for submission or publication in any of the AAEA journals. The American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) is the flagship journal of the association, and publishing in this journal remains an important professional signal in agricultural and applied economics departments within the U.S. It is the most competitive of the journals with recent acceptance rates below 10%. Despite its name, the journal considers publications on a range of topics in agricultural, food, environmental, natural resource, regional, and development economics. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (AEPP) is the association’s more policy-oriented journal. The Journal of the AAEA (JAAEA) is the association’s newest journal. It is open access and takes a sound science approach. 

AAEA has two publications that are published in-house by AAEA. Applied Economics Teaching Resources (AETR) is an open-access teaching focused journal; it is not currently indexed and online-only. AETR articles are charged an article processing charge (APC) if accepted ($500 for members, $250 for lower income and lower-middle income countries; early career and young professionals; graduate students; and faculty and instructors at primary teaching institutions (e.g. community colleges, small 4-year primary teaching institutions, etc. and $750 for non AAEA members).  The Association also publishes Choices, the principal outreach vehicle of AAEA. Choices provides current coverage on economic implications of food, farm, resource or rural community issues directed toward a broad audience. Articles are peer reviewed. Choices is a free, online-only publication.

Please note that what’s happening with these journals can change as submission rates change and editorial boards shift. When an editor position becomes available, there is an open call shared with AAEA members and there is an application process. Editors are usually tenured faculty (usually but not always in U.S. agricultural and applied economics departments) with an established international reputation. There is currently no systematic way of recruiting reviewers for these journals. If you have not been invited to review for one of these journals and are interested to do so, please send a brief email to the editor expressing your interest and attach a CV. 

What is the AAEA Trust?

The AAEA Trust is a  financial management structure that helps to support the activities of AAEA. You are welcome to donate to the Trust if you have the means, and applications are accepted every October for proposals by members to the AAEA Trust to fund activities that support AAEA members (individual awards can be up to $20,000).

AAEA Awards

Part of the role of AAEA is to provide professional recognition for members. At the association level, AAEA issues a variety of awards each year, the most prestigious of which is the AAEA Fellow Award. In addition, some sections offer awards relevant to the work of their section. Often these awards are open to all AAEA members. Self nomination for awards is permitted for some awards. AAEA distributes the physical awards during the Annual Awards, Fellows and Appreciation Club Recognition Ceremony that takes place at the Annual Meeting.

What is My Account? 

My Account is the online portal for AAEA members. Here you can check the status of your membership, renew your membership, become a member of sections, submit an abstract for the AAEA annual meeting, update your professional profile, access your ballot to vote for AAEA Board and section leadership, view journal articles, access the member directory, access member-only resources, update your communication preferences and more. Knowing your way around this online portal will allow you to get the most out of your membership.

Contact AAEA

AAEA staff is available to answer any questions you may have and help you with any problems you encounter. You can direct all general questions to info@aaea.org, or call (414) 918-3190. The AAEA Business Office is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm CT.

The AAEA mailing address is:

Agricultural & Applied Economics Association
555 E. Wells St., Suite 1100
Milwaukee, WI 53202

AAEA Staff

If you have a question about the AAEA that is not answered here or if you see anything written here that you think is an error, out-of-date, or in need of further clarification, please contact AAEA staff at info@aaea.org.