Ethical Codes

Economic Ethical Codes of Conduct

American Economic Association (AEA) – Nashville, Tennessee, USA

The AEA, one of the most influential economic associations in the United States, adopted a disclosure policy in January 2012.  This seven-point policy deals exclusively with conflicts of interest. It went into effect in July 2012 and is one of the first such policies implemented by a major economic association in the United States. On April 20, 2018, the AEA also adopted a Code of Professional Conduct.

Royal Economic Society –  UK

As one of the oldest economic association in the world, the Royal Economic Society adopted a Code of Conduct to set guidelines for their conduct in supporting the study of economic science.

Bruegel – Brussels, Belgium

A Brussels-based think tank, Bruegel’s “Statement on Research Integrity” includes policies which address partisanship, capture by special interests and governments, and conflicts of interest.  In December 2012, Bruegel announced that researchers must make all secondary incomes, secondary affiliations or memberships publicly available on Bruegel’s website.

French Association of Economics (AFSE)

AFSE adopted recommendations for good practice and scientific ethics for economics teachers and researchers who receive public funding.  The recommendations, which include rules for field experiments, publications, and teaching, can be found here.

German Association for Social Policy (Verein Für Socialpolitik)– Frankfurt, Germany

VFS, a German economic association, adopted an ethics code in September 2012.  The rules in the code aim to provide guidance to economists on the ethical trappings of conflict of interest, policy advising, and providing expert economic opinions.

National Association of Forensic Economics (NAFE) – Mount Union, Pennsylvania, USA

Since 2004, NAFE has had an eight-point “Statement of Ethical Principles and Principals of Professional Practice.”

The Swedish Association of Graduates in Business Administration and Economics (Civilekonomerna) – Stockholm, Sweden

This Swedish economic association has a list of “Professional Ethics Guidelines” on its website which outline ethical behavior in professional roles, the workplace, and in relations with the “outside world.”

Toulouse School of Economics – Toulouse, France

The Toulouse School implemented a “Statement on Scientific Integrity” on January 1, 2012.  This statement includes rules and principles relating to non-partisanship, research integrity, relationships with the media, and outside consulting work.  Additionally, the Toulouse School of Economics requires itself to publish a list of donors who give more then 5,000 and 100,000 euros to TSE each year.

Conflict of Interest Policies

Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA)

The AAEA has a conflict of interest policy in place for officers and board members in the organization which includes disclosure, recusal, and resignation rules, depending on the severity of the conflict.  Additionally, the AAEA has adopted the AEA’s seven-point disclosure policy for its two publications, The American Journal of Agricultural Economics and Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy.

Canadian Journal of Economics

The Canadian Economics Association has a conflict of interest policy for its journal.  The policy offers guidelines for editors, authors, and referees on how to handle potential conflicts of interest in journal submissions.

The French Economic Observatory (Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques) – Paris, France

The OFCE, a French thinktank, adopted a charter in 2012 reqiring employees to disclose thier connections to private sector entities.

Paris School of Economics – Paris, France

Citing a loss of credibility in the economics profession after the 2008 crisis, PSE has adopted a set of “Transparency Principles” aimed at preventing a loss of scientific integrity in economics.  These principles require members’ disclosure of positions of responsibility, associations, and income sources over 5000 euros which may pose a conflict of interest in their research.  PSE reserves the right to remind members of their obligations and take “appropriate measures” in cases of noncompliance.

Forum for Social Economics

The Forum For Social Economics, a journal published by the Association for Social Economics, follows the AEA policy for transparency of funding and data transparency, and has its own policy on conflict of interest. This policy, however, pertains more to conflicts of co-editors than authors. The policy can be found here.