The International Economic History Association (IEHA) will hold its thirteenth World Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 22-26, 2002. The scientific program of the Congress will be organized on a different principle than previous Congresses. The hierarchical distinction between A-, B-, and C-sessions will be abandoned and replaced by a more open format. In 2002 there will be approximately 100 sessions spread over five days of meetings. All topics in economic history broadly defined to include related fields such as demographic history, social history, and the history of economics are welcome. The Association has a particularly strong desire to attract more sessions on the period before 1800 and more sessions concerning economies other than those of Western Europe and North America. Organizers will be given wide discretion to shape the ormat of sessions to be the most attractive and efficient given the topic and the participants invited. The Association encourages suggestions for innovative formats that support the theme of the session.

This is the second and final call for session proposals. At Riverside, California (May 1999), the Executive Committee of the IEHA has already selected 41 session proposals out of 65 submitted by the first call for sessions. Proposals in response to the second call may be submitted anytime before April 15, 2001. The Executive Committee will consider these applications in June/July 2001.

The intent of this second call is to reduce the preparation and planning time required to a minimum. These sessions would present current work, progress reports on on-going projects, or round-table discussions. They could also be a vehicle for stimulating interest in new topics, a new or neglected methodological approaches, or to bring together two or more groups of researchers working on related topics but not presently in close touch.

The information required from and the responsibilities of those who propose at this stage are the same as for responding to the first call. Other than the time required for preparation there is no distinction between the first- and second-round sessions. The final program on the Congress will not indicate which sessions were selected in 1999 and which at a later date.

From submissions to the second call, received by April 15, 2001, the Executive Committee will fill all but a few of the remaining session slots. Organizers of these sessions will also be asked to reserve places on their program to include scholars who respond to a call for papers after the session has been announced. Organizers of all sessions will be asked to submit a final list of participants and paper titles by January 15, 2002. All papers accepted will be posted on the XIII Congress internet site as they are received. All information concerning the Congress wil be posted on the Congress Website. Scholars and the general public will have access to this site and will be able to search, read, and download papers of interest in advance of the Congress.

Each day of the Congress will be divided into four time blocks of 90 to 105 minutes each (two before lunch and two following lunch). The proposer of a session may normally request between one and three blocks of time depending upon the number of papers and the dimensions of the topic. These blocks may be sequential on the same day or the organizer may propose some alternative pattern.

The organizers of all sessions will be asked to take on the following responsibilites:

1. Communicate as requested with the Secretary General of the Association and the Congress organizers in Argentina as the program takes shape.
2. Circulate an open call for participation that invites broad involvement by scholars from different countries and approaches. Organizers will be asked to respect the Association's desire to make the World Congress as inclusive as possible, encouraging if necessary, young scholars and those from outside of Western Europe and North America.
3. Plan the sessions in Buenos Aires to allow at least twenty percent of the available time for informal open discussion from the floor.
4. Insure that all participants are able to communicate easily and effectively with each other both before the Congress and during the session. Particular attention should be given to easing the difficulty of scholarly dialog among participants with different native languages.
5. Provide or raise whatever funding may be necessary for the proposed session and associated activities before and after the Congress.