Frequently Asked Questions
How can I become a member of the MEA?
Annual membership fees are collected from all members in good standing. A professional membership is $40.00 and a graduate student membership is $30.00. Membership is effective July 1 to June 30. Institutional memberships are also available, please see the Membership page for details.
If you are planning to attend the annual meetings, you will pay your membership when submitting an abstract (membership is included in the submission fee) or when registering for the conference (you may choose to register as a member or non-member).
If you are not planning to attend the conference or need to have a separate invoice for membership, please complete the Membership Application Form. After you submit the form, the MEA will issue an invoice for the membership fee via Paypal.
What fees are required?
To present research at the MEA annual meetings, the following dues and fees are required: Annual membership dues, an abstract submission fee, and a conference registration fee. Go to Forms and Guidelines to see the current fee schedule.
What should be included in the abstract?
Abstracts submitted to the MEA should fit on to one page (single-spaced) and must include your name with affiliation, coauthor’s names and affiliations, title of the paper, and JEL code of the paper with sub classification numbers if possible. State your research question and explain how you plan to answer that question. If you will be using an existing model to guide your analysis, identify what that model is and any needed modifications of it. If your research will be empirical, explain the data or other resources that you will draw upon and the tools of analysis – econometrics, simulations, experimental – that you will use. If your research will be theoretical, explain the essential features of your model, the results that you expect it to yield, and the method you will use to derive these results. In either case, explain the criteria you will use to judge the validity of your results.
What is the JEL code?
The Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classification system is a standard method of classifying scholarly literature in the field of economics. Use the JEL classification guide to gain insight on how JEL Codes are used to classify articles, dissertations, books, book reviews, and working papers.
Am I required to discuss a paper?
Yes. The primary purpose of this professional meeting is to exchange ideas and improve the quality of economic research. We strive to assign a discussant who will offer constructive criticism following the presentation of each and every paper. In order to make this possible, all presenters are asked to discuss one paper. You will have access to the paper you are assigned two weeks in advance of the conference.
Can my undergraduate student present in a regular session of the MEA conference?
Regular sessions at the MEA conference are for professionals and graduates students only. The MEA offers separate sessions for presentations by undergraduate students. Go to Forms and Guidelines for more information. The deadline for undergraduate proposals is December 1.
Joint or co-authored papers between a faculty member and an undergraduate student are not eligible for consideration in the undergraduate paper sessions. Joint work should be submitted to the regular paper sessions. If included in the program, please note that the work must be presented by the faculty member. The undergraduate may share in the presentation, but it is required that the faculty member serve as the primary presenter.
How can I tell if I’m a member?
Current MEA membership is effective from July 1, to June 30. Membership must be renewed annually. Contact the MEA office at mea@grinnell.edu if additional information is needed.