The Association and the Journal after sixty-five years.

• Author: Tarascio, Vincent J.
• Position: Southern Economic Association; Southern Economic Journal - Communications

The purpose of this paper is to trace briefly the development of the Southern Economic Association and the Southern Economic Journal during the past sixty-five years within the context of the economic circumstances in the South. It will be shown that the orientation of the Association and the Journal shifted with time from a regional one, where the emphasis was on research on Southern economic problems, to a national one, largely paralleling the South's diminished regional identity during its development in the last three decades.

1. Southern Economics during the Nineteenth Century

   The South has often been regarded a laggard in the development of economics when compared to other regions of the United States. This has not always been the case. According to Professor Snavely,

   It is not an exaggeration to say that in the first half of the nineteenth century, the Southern states held the foremost place in the development of economics in this country. This holds true both for the quality of instruction given and the creditable books and pamphlets that appeared from Southern authors. The priority of the South in this respect may be attributed quite largely to the influence of Thomas Jefferson who, along with Madison and Monroe, was profoundly interested in political and economic theory |6, 7~.

   He goes on to argue that Jefferson and Monroe constructed the most liberal curricula in the social sciences yet known in this country for William and Mary and later for the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina, University of South Carolina, the University of Georgia as well as Transylvania University |6, 7~. Snavely also provides an impressive list of Southern economists who contributed to the literature during the first half of the nineteenth century.

   The Civil War ended the South's premier position in teaching and research in economics. For a generation following that war conditions in the South retarded progress of its colleges and universities, and productive efforts in the social sciences languished. Impoverishment of the universities made it impossible to attract persons of similar attainments as those of the past, and difficult to retain its own best minds.(1)

   During the first three decades of this century, conditions improved and this period witnessed the expansion of departments of economics and schools of commerce which were established at practically all the southern institutions, and it seemed that the South was well on its way towards recovery. It was in this environment that the Southern Economic Association was founded.

2. The Southern Economic Association

   The Southern Economic Association had its beginnings in the fall of 1927, although it did not officially acquire that name until November 12, 1932.(2) Since 1930, it had been known as the Southeastern Economic Association, and between November 1928 to 1930 it operated as the Southeastern Economics Conference. In October of 1927, Walter J. Matherly, sent a letter to several southern economists and administrators proposing the organization of an association in the South. On the strength of replies received, he called a meeting of the representatives of 10 institutions to be held in Atlanta on December 10, 1927. At this meeting a committee drew up plans for the proposed organization which was presented to the group of representatives. A resolution was passed that an organization be established to be known as the Southern Association of Instructors in Economics and Business Administration. Upon passage of the resolution the association elected the following officers: president, Walter J. Matherly; vice-president, S. E. Leland; secretary, Mercer G. Evans, and treasurer, T. W. Noel. The first annual session of the...