Labor economists have the Society of Labor Economists. Health economists have the International Health Economics Association. Economic historians have the Economic History Association. What about development economists?
Development economists now have a global professional home. The International Development Economics Association (IDEA), founded in January 2026 by a Founding Board of 89 scholars from over 40 countries, invites development economists worldwide to join its community today. I am writing as a member of the first elected Board of Directors. Our board of directors spans six continents; we started work in April, 2026. If you prefer news in video format, here’s a short video that introduces IDEA, featuring Dean Yang, Farah Said, Ashani Amarasinghe, Nishith Prakash, Emily Beam, Giorgio Chiovelli, Tarun Jain, Paolo Falco, Edward Asiedu, Eric Edmonds, Willa Friedman, and me.
Why create this organization? Over many hours of discussion during the past few years, at conferences and seminars, a growing group of development economists, including me, noticed that many other fields of economics have a professional umbrella organization that connects everyone in their field. The landscape of development economics practice and research has been changing (here is an interview with Dean Karlan discussing some of those changes), so those conversations recently gained momentum. What began in small conversations grew to larger groups, Zoom meetings, and finally formal registration as an organization. Some researchers perceived a gap in access to other scholars at conferences; others hoped for more ways to share their new papers in a place where other development economists look; still others were looking for a professional organization that could focus on interests shared by development economists, regardless of where they live or work, whether that means sharing curricula, compiling lists of conferences or funding opportunities, or simply discussing issues that affect nearly everyone working in the field.
IDEA is the first global professional association of development economists; it is designed to be open and democratically governed. It is open to all who work in or study development economics, regardless of career stage, country, or intellectual tradition. Geographic representation is written into the bylaws, which require representatives employed in each of six world regions, in addition to at-large board seats. IDEA now exists to serve our global community, with particular attention to the large population of scholars in low- and middle-income countries.
What about other organizations that already exist? We are excited to work with the many groups and conferences that have already been operating for years. (This blog, in fact, has been a space for conversations in development economics for fifteen years!) A three-year partnership with the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) was approved in May 2026; BREAD will hold an ex-officio non-voting seat on the IDEA Board. Members of the IDEA Board plan to be present at many of the upcoming conferences, including the Applied Development Economics Conference in Lahore, LACDEV at Wesleyan, NEUDC at Cornell, and other events in the months ahead, so look for us there.
What will it do? Our 15-member Board of Directors was seated just two months ago. IDEA’s planned activities include a working paper series, conferences (in-person and virtual), career development and mentorship programs, and partnerships with existing institutions in the field. But we are just getting started, and we welcome input. Along with the other members of the IDEA board, I am excited to see what suggestions the greater development economics community has for what this new organization can do.
Source : World Bank
