Abstract
Paul
Eleven years ago, Michael Szenberg, Editor-in-Chief of The American Economist (AEX 1 ), invited me to succeed him upon his pending retirement. This was an exciting, but at the same time, an intimidating offer. How could anyone follow Michael? Michael had edited the AEX for 38 years—surely a modern-day longevity record for an economics journal editor. Over almost four decades, Michael edited and published hundreds of articles, notes, book reviews, and comments from virtually every specialization and subfield in the discipline. He raised the profile of the journal by publishing numerous papers authored by Nobel laureates and leading minds in economics while at the same time nurturing young scholars who were learning the craft of publishing their research. 2 It would be difficult for anyone to follow in Michael’s footsteps. When I asked him why he chose to ask me, his surprising response was “the patience and kindness” I had shown to others while serving as an associate editor for the journal. Michael explained that he valued the importance of frank and honest reviews that did not discourage authors but rather encouraged them to improve their work and to correct their mistakes. For Michael, a good rejection letter was “invigorating” as it offered an opportunity to learn how to improve upon one’s work. 3 As editors write many more rejection letters than acceptance letters, this was the editorial philosophy that Michael wanted to pass on, and I have tried my best to follow it over the years that have followed.
This special issue marks my 10th anniversary as Editor-in-Chief of the AEX and the last that I will serve the journal in that role. I am proud of the work that my editorial team has accomplished over the years but the time is right for a new leader who will bring innovative ideas and initiatives to the table. I am pleased to announce that Carlos J. Asarta has agreed to serve as the next Editor-in-Chief of the AEX. Carlos is a Professor of Economics and the Director of the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship in the Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. He is an experienced researcher and coauthor of the best-selling digital Principles of Economics product published by McGraw-Hill. I have known Carlos since his days as a graduate student at the University of Nebraska and have worked with him in a number of capacities through various professional associations since then. Carlos has served as an Associate Editor with the journal for several years and I am certain he will bring great skill and energy to the editor’s role as well as patience and kindness. Welcome Carlos.
Carlos will be assisted by a great editorial team and I wish to express my appreciation to them for their hard work and patience with me over the years. A special heart-felt thanks goes out to Book Review Editor John Swinton (Georgia College and State University) and current Associate Editors John Harvey (Texas Christian University), Ishuan Li (Minnesota State University), Diego Mendez-Carbajo (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), Kevin Rogers (Mississippi State University), Joseph Santos (South Dakota State University), Bruno Sergi (University of Messina and Harvard University), Mario Solis-Garcia (Macalester College), and Sharmila Vishwasrao (Florida Atlantic University). Each of these editorial team members has made important contributions in recognizing valuable ideas and in working diligently with authors to craft submissions into publishable papers and reviews. I also want to thank former Book Review Editor Jane Lopus (California State University-East Bay) and former Associate Editors William Bosshardt (Florida Atlantic University), George Chressanthis (Temple University), Jennifer Imazeki (San Diego State University), and KimMarie McGoldrick (University of Richmond) for their work and lasting contributions to the journal. Editing an academic peer-reviewed journal has always been a team effort and I have been blessed to work with outstanding team players.
The AEX is the official academic journal of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honor Society in Economics (ODE). The journal strives to reflect the organization’s goal of honoring academic excellence in our discipline and receives strong support and guidance from the ODE Executive Board. I thank all of the current and former members of the board for 10 years of encouragement and advice as we have worked together to grow the journal alongside the overall organization. A very special thank you to Farhang Niroomand (University of Houston-Victoria), Executive Secretary-Treasurer, and to Phyllis Pittman who oversaw the ODE home office during my years as editor for all of their support and work behind the scenes to make the journal a success.
Perhaps the most significant event in the journal’s evolution over the past decade was moving production to a professional publisher, SAGE Publishing, after more than 50 years of self-publication. This change brought the journal into the online world of 21st-century academic publishing. ODE members can now receive online subscriptions to the journal and libraries can electronically access the historical backfile. This has greatly expanded the distribution and impact of the journal as our issues are more readily available to economists and researchers around the world. Thanks to everyone at SAGE for forging this partnership, but a particular thanks is due to Cynthia Nalevanko who saw the economic value and mutual benefits that would arise from our relationship.
I am indebted to the administration of Mississippi State University for the financial support of the journal’s operation during the first year of my editorship. Since my retirement from MSU and subsequent move to my alma mater, Pittsburg State University, the PSU administration has graciously provided both space and time for my editorial activities—thank you. A very special thanks also to my administrative assistant, Mimi Morrison, who has assisted me on countless duties related to the journal. From ordering plaques for the annual Michael Szenberg Prize for Best Paper to organizing and scheduling the discipline-wide Editors’ Breakfast that The American Economist hosts each year at the Allied Social Science Associations conference, Mimi is the best.
Finally, I must express my appreciation for my understanding and supportive wife, Marybeth, who has served as copyeditor throughout the past 10 years. Chances are if you submitted one of the more than 200 papers that was ultimately accepted by the AEX since 2011, Marybeth read and marked-up your paper at some stage of the process. Her invaluable service to the journal greatly improved our final product and, in the process, taught me more about writing than I ever learned in my English courses. Thank you, Frankie!
It was a great honor to serve as Editor-in-Chief of the AEX over this past transformative decade and it will remain an experience that I will always cherish.
Carlos
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity offered to me by ODE to become the next Editor-in-Chief of the AEX, following in the footsteps of a tremendously impactful scholar and leader, Paul Grimes. Paul has been a trusted mentor, supporter, and friend for almost 20 years, and I can say, without a doubt, that I am a better scholar and person because of him.
I must admit that I have always had a soft spot for the AEX because it publishes scholarship from all fields and schools of economic thought (The American Economist, 2020) and because, back in 2011, it “took a chance” on me and published one of my first articles in economic education. As such, the decision to join the editorial team several years ago was a simple one to make. And, when Paul came knocking on my door again with his staple “Hey Carlos” to ask me to consider becoming AEX’s Editor-in-Chief, I knew immediately that this was something I truly wanted to do. As Editor-in-Chief, I will strive to meet the high standards established by Paul over the past decade while at the same time bringing additional visibility and scholarly recognition to the journal. As the official academic journal of ODE, we will continue to encourage contributions from students and junior scholars working in all fields and schools of economic thought and welcome works from established and notable economists. In addition, given its long tradition of publishing economic education scholarship (Asarta et al., 2017), and my own background in that field, I expect the AEX will see an increased volume of submissions aimed at improving teaching and assessment methods in economics. We are particularly looking forward to receiving manuscripts aimed at presenting effective techniques for building more diverse and inclusive learning environments, and manuscripts focused on assessing the effectiveness of technological advances on learning. Finally, it is my goal to expand our editorial team to make sure that we continue to process the increased number of submissions we have seen over the past few years in an efficient and effective manner.
I would like to thank our editorial team for helping us put together an exciting and insightful economic education–focused issue to celebrate Paul’s legacy as Editor-in-Chief. Within this issue, we first recognize authors Daniel Ownby and P. Wesley Routon (2020) with the annual Michael Szenberg Prize for Best Article published by the AEX during the past calendar year: “Tragedy Following Tragedies: Estimating the Copycat Effect of Media-Covered Suicide in the Age of Digital News.” Then, our first paper showcases the 2020 John R. Commons Award Lecture, by N. Greg Mankiw, discussing the past and future of the Econ 101 course. This manuscript is followed by a paper I co-authored with Rebecca G. Chambers and Cynthia Harter providing the first set of results from the 2020 administration of the sixth national quinquennial survey on teaching and assessment methods. Next, Melanie A. Fennell and Irene R. Foster provide experimental evidence on the effect that test format, calculator use, and calculator type have on the performance of students in a principles of economics course. The introductory economics theme continues with a manuscript by Laurie A. Miller and James R. Schmidt that examines the effects of online assignments and weekly deadlines on student outcomes in a principles of macroeconomics course.
The next two papers found in this special issue offer a distinct Federal Reserve System flavor. First, Diego Mendez-Carbajo and Genevieve M. Podleski describe the historical data contributions of the Federal Reserve System and reflect on the future direction of economic education and data. Second, Evgeniya Duzhak, Jody Hoff, and Jane S. Lopus examine the effects of the Chair the Fed simulation on the knowledge of high school students, providing a nice bridge between the Federal Reserve System theme and the next theme in our issue, high school economics. While John R. Swinton and Christopher Clark use state-wide high school data on teacher credentials and characteristics to assess how they affect student learning of high school economics, Laura J. Ahlstrom examines how participation and performance in Advanced Placement (AP) economics courses influence the decision of students to major in economics and to complete an economics degree in college. The last two manuscripts have a journal, editorial team, and scholarship focus. Zachary Ferrara uses data from the top three economic education journals to explore the idea that social ties may have an impact on the output productivity of scholars. Then, Paul W. Grimes and Franklin G. Mixon, Jr. perform a bibliographic analysis of the first 50 years of the leading journal in economic education, the Journal of Economic Education, identifying the scholars whose contributions helped develop the field of economic education. We wrap up the special issue with two book reviews, one by Wayne Geerling on a recent edited volume focused on war movies and economics and another by Elizabeth A. Moorhouse on a book explaining how economics influences the way we raise children. We sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading these articles and reviews and that you will find their insights thought provoking and useful.
It will not be easy following in Paul’s footsteps; he is an effective leader, an incredibly accomplished scholar, and a wonderful and supportive mentor. I am excited about the opportunity to lead the journal and work with our editorial team. Fortunately for all of us, Paul has agreed to stay on as “Editor Emeritus.” In that role, I am confident that he will help us navigate the transition while at the same time providing us with the independence needed to begin a new chapter. Paul, thank you for your trust and support over the years, and congratulations on a job well done! Onward.