International Association for Feminist Economics records, 1983, 1991-2020

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Summary

Creator:
International Association for Feminist Economics
Abstract:
The International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) is an international non-profit organization committed to promoting awareness of and advancing scholarship in feminist economics. This collection documents their founding in 1992 and subsequent growth through records related to their self-governance, Annual Conference, and academic journal Feminist Economics. It was acquired as part of the Economists' Papers Archive and the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture.
Extent:
22.7 Linear Feet (18 record cartons and one half document box.)
3.4 Gigabytes
Language:
Material in English.
Collection ID:
RL.13118

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the evolution of IAFFE's self-governance, events, and publications over the three decades since its founding.

Perhaps the largest amount of material pertains to the financial management of the organization, as primarily carried out by the Treasurer and Financial and Development Committees. These records include budgets, bank statements, tax filings, ledgers and balance sheets, audit results, donation lists, and grant management files. There is also a large amount of material related to the planning and execution of the Annual Conference and sponsored panels at the Allied Social Science Associations' Annual Meeting, including files for travel grant applicants, prizes, and photographs.

Other files include those on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, which shed light on the organizational structure, the governance norms, and the profiles of Board members and officers (including Presidents Bina Agarwal and Edith Kuiper and founding Editor Diana Strassmann). IAFFE's sustained efforts to reform the economics profession (in line with its mission) can be seen through items such as correspondence with the American Economic Association regarding inclusive language in job postings and the development of pedagogical resources with the aim of incorporating feminist perspectives into economics education and professional training. There are 10 folders with records preserved by founding President Jean Shackelford, and some files highlight the occasional involvement of members Amartya Sen and Deidre McCloskey.

There are 18 floppy disks, one ZIP disk, six CDs, and one DVD, the contents of which have been transferred to a server and are available; they primarily contain material related to the Annual Conference, Newsletter, website, and membership and financial records.

Biographical / historical:

The International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) is a non-profit organization that describes itself as a global "community of academics, activists, policy theorists, and practitioners" dedicated to promoting "gender-aware and inclusive economic research and policy analysis to enhance the well-being of women, children, and men."

Founded in 1992, IAFFE emerged as an institutional response to the increasing recognition that economic theory and policy needed to engage more seriously with gender perspectives and the lived experiences of women. The organization built upon the earlier work of the American Economic Association's Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP). While CSWEP was established in 1971 to address gender disparities in employment, IAFFE adopted the broader aim of advancing feminist approaches to economic theory, policy, and pedagogy, pushing for methodological turns in the practice of economics. Among those who played a central role in this transition was Barbara Bergmann, a leading member of CSWEP who later became IAFFE's fourth President (1999-2000).

Over time, IAFFE evolved into a more expansive and institutionally robust organization, experiencing substantial growth in both its membership base and global presence. While individual donations have always supported the organization, grants from agencies such as the Ford Foundation and the Swedish International Development Cooperative Agency (SIDA) enabled IAFFE to strengthen its administrative operations and offer merit-based awards and conference travel grants beginning in the mid-1990s. Its collaborations with major international bodies--such as the United Nations and the International Economic Association--further elevated IAFFE's visibility and influence within the economics profession and relevant policy spheres.

Since its inception, IAFFE has contributed to the development of feminist economics through a range of events and publications. These include its Annual Conference, which brings together scholars, policymakers, and activists to discuss gender-informed approaches to economic issues, Feminist Economics, a peer-reviewed academic journal founded in 1995, and the Routledge series IAFFE Advances in Feminist Economics.

Acquisition information:
The International Association for Feminist Economics records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library as a gift in 2024. These files originally belonged to a number of IAFFE members.
Processing information:

Processed by Soroush Marouzi, April 2025.

Electronic records processed by Zachary Tumlin, March, 2025.

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2024-0098.

Arrangement:

The International Association for Feminist Economics records are arranged into six series: Governance, Events, Feminist Economics, History of Feminist Economics, Membership, and Communication.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access restricted. Two boxes contain travel grant applicant information and are restricted for 50 years after date of creation. Contact Research Services for more information.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], International Association for Feminist Economics records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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