About the Cliometric Society

About the Cliometric Society The Cliometric Society is an academic organization of individuals interested in the use of economic theory and statistical techniques to study economic history. Founded in 1983, The Cliometric Society is now a chartered, not-for-profit, corporation in the State of North Carolina. The Society office is located at the Department of Economics, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8110. The Cliometric Society maintains a worldwide membership of 500 respected and influential practitioners in both academic and professional fields. The Board of Trustees includes nationally and internationally prominent individuals in economic history. The Society's By-Laws include provisions for the advancement of scholarship, with an emphasis on methodology and practice, and the promotion of educational opportunities for young scholars.

The Cliometric Society publishes the Cliometric Newsletter three times each year. These publications inform members of the latest research through reports of economic history conferences around the world. Each issue features an interview with an outstanding, sometimes controversial, individual in the field. Abstracts of papers presented at significant conferences are provided with the newsletter as inserts, and members are notified of upcoming meetings and conferences through notices and Calls for Papers.

Encouraging communication among scholars, the Society maintains a database of membership information, notably research interests and areas of expertise, enabling members to share their work in progress through the Society's participation in the Eh.net scholarly network.

The Cliometric Society actively promotes members' involvement with other scholarly societies. In 1992, the Society arranged a dual membership option with the European Historical Economics Society. In addition, the Cliometric Society sponsors sessions at the annual Allied Social Science Association meetings, which are held annually around the United States. And the Society has long been a member organization of the International Economic History Association, sponsoring sessions at the International Economic History Congresses in Milan and Madrid.

Possibly the most noteworthy accomplishment of the Society it the continuation of the tradition surrounding its origin: An annual Conference that encourages the spirit of Cliometric inquiry and debate, and promotes working relationships among young and seasoned Cliometricians. For more than 20 years, the Conference has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. The NSF regards the Cliometrics Conference as one of the most successful conference it supports, frequently citing it as a model program to other similar organizations.

As an outgrowth of the Annual Cliometrics Conferenece, the Cliometric Society has presented, in cooperation with other scholarly organizations, five World Congresses of Cliometrics. The first World Congress was held at Northwestern University in 1985; the second in Santander, Spain in 1989; the third in Munich, Germany in 1997; the fourth in Montreal, Canada in 2000; and the fifth in Venice, Italy in 2004. So far, more than four hundred economic historians from around the world have participated as authors and discussants of landmark research papers at these World Congresses.

What is Cliometrics? Answers vary: "historical economics," the "economics of history," "econometric history" -- not many years ago, it was called the "new" economic history. The conclusion is all of the above. Stanley Reiter, a mathematical economist, who was "musing" for a word that described the quantitative economic history work he was discussing with colleagues, coined the word itself in 1960. He joined the Muse of History, Clio, with the suffix "metrics" from the word "econometrics." Hence, "Cliometrics." The term has evolved. Today a common definition is that Cliometrics is the application of economic theory and quantitative techniques to describe and explain historical events. In addition to economic theory and econometrics, Cliometricians often use large data sets to examine the past. To quote Deirdre McCloskey, one of the founders of the Society: "Cliometrics" is too easily construed from the Greek to mean simply quantitative history, rather than the application of quantitative and theoretical techniques to the study of historical phenomenon.

History of Cliometrics: Many cliometricians date the birth of the field to the 1957 joint sessions of the Economic History Association and the NBER Conference on Income and Wealth held in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Papers presented there introduced the use of methodologies that were considered revolutionary -- and which subsequently became standard Cliometric practice. Three years later, in 1960, Lance Davis and J.R.T. Hughes organized a conference for the small group of scholars pioneering the practice of these new methods.

This initial meeting evolved into an annual conference held at Purdue University throughout the decade, attended by a growing number of Cliometricians. By 1964, the "Founding Fathers" ignited national interest in this new field with their session at the American Economic Association meeting in Chicago, attended by hundreds. In 1969, the Conference moved from Purdue to the University of Wisconsin, and again in 1975, to the University of Chicago. Since 1980, the Conference has been held at the University of Iowa, University of Illinois, Indiana University, Northwestern University, Miami University, University of Arizona, University of Kansas, Vanderbilt University, University of Toronto, Washington University in St. Louis, and University of Wisconsin. The 42nd annual Conference was held May 8-11, 2003 at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Board of Trustees currently consists of six ex-officio members: Lee A. Craig (North Carolina State University), Executive Director; Samuel H. Williamson (Miami University); Giovanni Federico (European University Institute); Michael Haupert (Wisconsin-La Crosse); John Murray (Toledo); and Robert Margo (Boston University); and eight elected Trustees: Richard Steckel, Chair (Ohio State University); Lee J. Alston (Colorado); Philip Hoffman (California Institute of Technology); Paul Rhode (University of North Carolina); Tom Weiss (Kansas); Stephen Broadberry (Warwick); Gillian Hamilton (University of Toronto); and Shawn Kantor (University of California, Merced).