Association of Environmental and Resource Economists

The Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) is a United States-based professional association for scholars, students, practitioners, and policy specialists working in environmental and natural-resource economics. Founded in 1979, it was established to provide a forum for exchanging ideas, stimulating research, and strengthening graduate education in a field concerned with the economic dimensions of environmental quality, natural resources, energy, climate, conservation, and public policy. AERE’s membership is centered on universities, government agencies, nonprofit research organizations, and consulting firms. Members commonly have training in economics, agricultural economics, or related disciplines, although the association also serves students and people whose primary interests are environmental policy rather than academic economics. The organization has more than 1,000 members from over 30 countries and is generally regarded as the principal professional organization for environmental and natural-resource economists in the United States. Its European counterpart is the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. A central part of AERE’s role is scholarly communication. The association publishes two journals with different editorial purposes. The Journal of the Association for Environmental and Resource Economists (JAERE) publishes original, full-length research that makes substantial contributions to the field. The Review of Environmental Economics and Policy (REEP) publishes accessible review and synthesis articles intended to connect current research with wider debates in environmental economics and policy. Together, these publications support both specialist scholarship and communication with readers who need informed explanations of developments in the field. AERE also organizes and supports a broad program of meetings and workshops. Its annual Summer Conference generally takes place over approximately three days in late May or early June and combines plenary sessions, parallel research presentations, professional interaction, and an annual awards luncheon. The association additionally sponsors the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists, held every four years with partner organizations from Europe, East Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. AERE participates in sessions at major economics meetings, including gatherings associated with the American Economic Association and other regional and applied-economics organizations. Its online activities include the AERE Fall Workshop and AERE@OSWEET, a recurring virtual workshop series that developed from the Online Summer Workshop in Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Economics. Professional development is another major area of activity. Through its Graduate Student Engagement Committee, AERE offers panels and conference meetups designed to help graduate students improve research communication, teaching, career preparation, and academic job-market skills. The AERE Scholars Program supports early-career scholars within five years of completing a PhD by pairing them with more experienced mentors and providing workshops and related development opportunities. These programs also reflect the association’s interest in broadening participation and strengthening the future pipeline of environmental and resource economists. AERE recognizes achievement through annual awards announced at the Summer Conference. Its Fellows program is the association’s highest honor and recognizes exceptional contributions through research, teaching, or service. Other awards recognize outstanding doctoral dissertations, publications with enduring influence, and exceptional papers published in JAERE. AERE may also grant a Distinguished Service Award for notable contributions to the profession or to the association. Overall, AERE functions as a scholarly, educational, and professional network rather than a commercial brand, linking research communities with public agencies, policy institutions, and practitioners concerned with environmental and resource decisions.

AERE was founded in the United States in 1979 during the consolidation of environmental and natural-resource economics as a distinct area of economic research and policy analysis. Its original purpose was to create an organized professional forum for exchanging ideas, encouraging research, and improving graduate training. The association brought together economists whose work addressed questions such as the valuation of environmental amenities, management of natural resources, pollution control, energy policy, and the economic consequences of environmental regulation. Over time, AERE developed from a membership organization into a broader scholarly and professional infrastructure. Its membership came primarily from universities, public agencies, nonprofit research institutions, and consulting organizations, while student members and policy-oriented participants expanded the association’s educational and practical reach. Although based in the United States, AERE established an international profile, with members located in more than 30 countries. Publishing became one of the association’s most important activities. AERE supports the Journal of the Association for Environmental and Resource Economists, which is oriented toward original specialist research, and the Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, which emphasizes accessible review articles and policy-relevant synthesis. The two journals serve complementary audiences: one advances the research frontier, while the other helps communicate developments in the field to economists, policymakers, and informed non-specialists. Conferences and workshops have remained central to AERE’s professional role. The association’s annual Summer Conference provides a recurring venue for research presentations, plenary discussions, networking, and awards. AERE also contributes to the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists, a four-year international meeting organized jointly with regional associations. In addition, it organizes or sponsors sessions at major economics conferences and has expanded its activities through online events. The Fall Workshop and the AERE@OSWEET series provide additional opportunities for researchers and students to present work and participate remotely. AERE has progressively strengthened its support for students and scholars at the beginning of their careers. The Graduate Student Engagement Committee organizes professional-development panels and conference meetups addressing research communication, teaching, and employment. The AERE Scholars Program adds a structured mentoring model for early-career researchers within five years of receiving a doctorate, pairing them with established professionals and involving them in workshops and development activities. These initiatives help connect the association’s publishing and conference functions with the longer-term development of the field. Recognition of achievement is provided through the Fellows program and several annual awards. The Wallace E. Oates Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award recognizes strong recent doctoral research. The Publication of Enduring Quality Award honors work with lasting influence, while the Ralph C. d’Arge and Allen V. Kneese Award recognizes an exceptional paper published in JAERE during the preceding year. AERE also presents awards for service when appropriate. Through these activities, the association combines professional recognition with its broader mission of advancing environmental and resource economics.

• 2024

  Summer Conference held in Washington, DC

  [1]Association of Environmental and Resource Economistsen.wikipedia.org

  The annual AERE Summer Conference took place in Washington, DC.

• 2022

  AERE@OSWEET recurring online sessions introduced

  [1]Association of Environmental and Resource Economistsen.wikipedia.org

  AERE began hosting recurring online AERE@OSWEET sessions during the academic year.

• 2020

  Online Summer Workshop launched

  [1]Association of Environmental and Resource Economistsen.wikipedia.org

  The Online Summer Workshop in Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Economics was established, later developing into the AERE@OSWEET program.

• 1989

  Publication of Enduring Quality Award established

  [1]Association of Environmental and Resource Economistsen.wikipedia.org

  AERE began awarding its Publication of Enduring Quality honor for published work with seminal and lasting influence in the field.

• 1979

  Association founded

  [1]Association of Environmental and Resource Economistsen.wikipedia.org

  AERE was established in the United States to promote exchange, research, and graduate training in environmental and natural-resource economics.

AERE positions itself as the leading United States professional association for environmental and natural-resource economists, combining scholarly publishing, conferences, training, mentoring, awards, and international professional cooperation.

• Academic journal

  Journal of the Association for Environmental and Resource Economists

  JAERE is AERE’s specialist research journal. It publishes original, full-length contributions intended to provide substantial new insights in environmental and resource economics. The journal serves researchers working on the economic analysis of environmental and natural-resource questions.

• Review and policy journal

  Review of Environmental Economics and Policy

  REEP publishes review-style articles that synthesize current thinking in environmental economics and policy. Its accessible format is designed to make research developments useful to economists, policymakers, researchers in related disciplines, and interested non-specialists.

• Professional conference

  AERE Summer Conference

  The annual Summer Conference is a multi-day meeting held in late spring or early summer. It combines plenary sessions, parallel research sessions, professional exchange, and the association’s annual awards luncheon.

• Early-career development program

  AERE Scholars Program

  The AERE Scholars Program supports early-career scholars who are no more than five years beyond the PhD. Participants are matched with experienced mentors and take part in workshops and other professional-development activities.

• Graduate-student support

  Graduate Student Engagement Committee programs

  The Graduate Student Engagement Committee provides professional-development panels and conference meetups for graduate students. Topics include communicating research, teaching effectively, and preparing for academic employment.

1. 1Association of Environmental and Resource Economistsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Association of Environmental and Resource Economists official websiteaere.org