The National Science Foundation has provided significant and fundamental financial support to both the annual Cliometrics Conferences and the World Congresses of Cliometrics. "Cliometrics" is economics in the service of history and history in the service of economics. The field of cliometrics evolved in the 1960s from convergent research interests in several fields; most notably economics, history, and statistics, but drawing also on demography, political science, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, and other social sciences. Recently, the field has become more interdisciplinary with the hard sciences with papers in economics and history combining with anatomy, climatology, and biology.
This award continues NSF support of cliometric research by sponsoring and providing significant funding for conference and travel expenses for the 2006 and 2007 annual Cliometrics Conferences and also for the 2008 World Cliometrics Congress in Europe. Over the past several years, the selection process for the annual Conference has been performed by a selection committee with a three year roll. Twelve papers are chosen from roughly 50 submissions. The remaining participants are then selected from those who have submitted papers or applied for attendance. The organizers consistently have managed to avoid exclusivity and partisan passion in making the choices, viewing themselves as representatives of a broader intellectual movement rather than as advocates for one or another of its branches. Particular attention is paid to the presence of graduate students and new scholars. The steady mixing of new faces and experienced researchers has created a unique intellectual environment and increases the participation of potentially under-represented groups. The format allows the presenter ten minutes followed by fifty minutes of intense discussion and questions. This format enhances research broadly and to help train the future teachers and researchers in the field.
In terms of the broader impacts, funding from the NSF accomplishes several things. First, it enables a group of graduate students and young faculty to attend a conference that they could otherwise not afford. Funding established practitioners ensures that they fulfill the obligation to read all the papers in advance and arrive prepared with questions and discussion. Second, authors presenting papers receive intense exposure for their work from an 'expert' group which, without the Cliometrics Conference, could take several years. Third, all participants benefit by discovering knowledgeable and enthusiastic colleagues. This unique combination of financial support from the NSF and professional support from conference attendees provides young scholars with the stimulation and encouragement to commit themselves to the field. All papers presented at these Conferences are widely disseminated on the Cliometrics website: www.eh.net/Clio.
