Southern Economic Association
The Southern Economic Association is a private U.S. academic membership association founded in 1928 that publishes the Southern Economic Journal (since 1933) and hosts an annual economics conference serving professional economists, graduate students, and the interested public.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1928
- HeadquartersLubbock, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Southern Economic Association does
The Southern Economic Association (SEA) is a U.S.-based private professional membership association for academic economists, founded in November 1928 at a conference in Atlanta. It is one of the oldest economics associations in the United States, and since 1933 it has published the Southern Economic Journal, the eighth oldest American scholarly journal in economics. The association is operated out of the Office of the Secretary/Treasurer (Benjamin Powell) at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, with a staff headcount of 1-10, and is governed by a Board of Trustees with elected officers including a President, President-Elect, and Vice Presidents.\n\nThe SEA's core products are the quarterly Southern Economic Journal (peer-reviewed research in theory and applied economics, distributed digitally via Wiley Online Library) and the annual meeting, with the 96th iteration scheduled for November 21-23, 2026 at the Marriott Marquis Houston. It also administers recognition programs including the Georgescu-Roegen Prize for the best journal article, the Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Distinguished Fellows Program. A dedicated Graduate Student Program (managed by Bryan McCannon at Illinois Wesleyan University) supports doctoral candidates through complimentary registration, travel stipends, and membership benefits.\n\nThe association generates revenue through three streams: annual membership dues ($40-$100 across online, print-USA, print-Canada, and print-international tiers for Professional, Retired, and Student categories), tiered conference registration fees ($60 for student members up to $355 for professional non-members, with $50 late-fee increases after November 6, 2026), and a $35 non-refundable per-paper submission fee. Customer segments are horizontal across the economics discipline, serving primarily academic economists and scholars, secondarily graduate students on the academic job market, and tertiary general-public members interested in economic affairs. Distribution is via the SEA member portal (sea.meetingsavvy.net), Wiley Online Library for journal access, and in-person annual conferences that will rotate through Nashville (2027), New Orleans (2028), and Washington DC (2029) following the 2026 Houston meeting.
Southern Economic Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southern Economic Association
- Legal name
- Southern Economic Association
- Website
- https://southerneconomic.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1928
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Southern Economic Association is a private U.S. academic membership association founded in 1928 that publishes the Southern Economic Journal (since 1933) and hosts an annual economics conference serving professional economists, graduate students, and the interested public.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southern Economic Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Economics Association
- NAICS
- Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business, Economics & Management Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)
Keywords
Where Southern Economic Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lubbock
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Southern Economic Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to the Southern Economic Journal (four issues) and reduced conference registration rates
- Conference Registration Fees: Revenue from annual meeting registrations for professional members, non-members, and student attendees with tiered pricing
- Paper Submission Fees: Non-refundable $35.00 submission fee per individual paper submission for conference consideration
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Professional Online Membership - $75/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional Print Membership USA - $85/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional Print Membership Canada - $95/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional Print Membership Non-USA/Canada - $100/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Retired Online Membership - $40/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Online Membership - $40/year |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional Member Conference Pre-Registration - $275 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional Non-Member Conference Pre-Registration - $355 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Student Member Conference Pre-Registration - $60 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Student Non-Member Conference Pre-Registration - $105 |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Hotel Room Rate at Marriott Marquis Houston - $235/night plus 17.82% tax |
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Southern Economic Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Southern Economic Association is a professional academic membership association that publishes the Southern Economic Journal (a quarterly peer-reviewed economics journal founded in 1933) and hosts the SEA Annual Meeting for economists and scholars. It sells annual memberships in Professional, Retired, and Student tiers that bundle journal access with reduced conference registration and submission fees, and it administers academic recognition awards including the Georgescu-Roegen Prize.
Product overview
The Southern Economic Association (SEA) operates as a professional membership organization offering a unified portfolio centered on its academic journal and annual conference. The core offerings include the Southern Economic Journal (a peer-reviewed economics publication), annual meetings/conferences, and a membership program providing journal access and conference discounts. The association also administers award programs including the Georgescu-Roegen Prize, Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award, and Distinguished Fellows recognition. The organization supports its mission of advancing economics education and research dissemination through conference registration services and membership management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Southern Economic Journal
- SEA Annual Meeting
- SEA Membership Program
- Georgescu-Roegen Prize
- Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award
- Distinguished Fellows Program
Companies that use Southern Economic Association
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Southern Economic Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Southern Economic Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Southern Economic Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Western Economic Association International: Regional economics association publishing Economic Inquiry and hosting annual conferences. Near-exact structural peer to SEA with the same membership-plus-journal-plus-annual-meeting model, differing only by geographic region.
- Midwest Economics Association: Regional economics association running annual Midwest Economics Conference. Direct regional peer to SEA with a similar conference-centric operating structure.
- American Economic Association: The largest US economics professional association, publisher of the American Economic Review. Closest direct comparable: membership-based scholarly society publishing a flagship economics journal and hosting annual meetings for the same economist persona.
- Eastern Economic Association: Regional US economics association publishing the Eastern Economic Journal and hosting annual meetings. Direct regional comp to SEA with identical operating model and member persona.
- History of Economics Society: Specialized economics professional society publishing the Journal of the History of Economic Thought. Comparable membership-and-journal operating model serving a narrower economics sub-discipline.
Emerging players
- Public Choice Society: Specialized economics society publishing Public Choice journal. Smaller membership-and-journal peer with overlapping academic economist persona but narrower topical focus.
Regional players
- Southern Finance Association: Regional finance (not economics) association with similar "Southern US" branding and annual conference model. Comparable in structure and regional identity, serving an adjacent (finance, not economics) academic audience.
- Southern Management Association: Regional management (not economics) academic association sharing the "Southern" branding convention and annual meeting structure. Adjacent thematic peer serving a different academic discipline.
Broad incumbents
- European Economic Association: Continental economics association publishing the Journal of the European Economic Association. A larger, broader peer operating the same membership-journal-conference model across Europe.
- Royal Economic Society: UK-based economics society publishing The Economic Journal. Comparable scholarly society model serving academic economists in a different geography, broadly comparable in mission and product mix.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Southern Economic Association social profiles
Digital presenceSouthern Economic Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southern Economic Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Southern Economic Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southern Economic Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southern Economic Association
What does Southern Economic Association do?
The Southern Economic Association is a professional academic membership association that publishes the Southern Economic Journal (a quarterly peer-reviewed economics journal founded in 1933) and hosts the SEA Annual Meeting for economists and scholars. It sells annual memberships in Professional, Retired, and Student tiers that bundle journal access with reduced conference registration and submission fees, and it administers academic recognition awards including the Georgescu-Roegen Prize.
Is Southern Economic Association a public or private company?
Southern Economic Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Southern Economic Association founded?
Southern Economic Association was founded in 1928. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Southern Economic Association based?
Southern Economic Association is headquartered in Lubbock, United States, in the North America region.
How does Southern Economic Association make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are conference Registration Fees and paper Submission Fees.
Who are Southern Economic Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Western Economic Association International, Midwest Economics Association, American Economic Association, Eastern Economic Association and History of Economics Society. Public Choice Society is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Southern Finance Association and Southern Management Association. Broad incumbents are European Economic Association and Royal Economic Society.
Does Southern Economic Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southern Economic Association.
What industry is Southern Economic Association in?
Southern Economic Association's product category is Professional Economics Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAFAF, Business, Economics & Management Scholarly Publishing, with a secondary code of EDAGAFAK, Scholarly Society & Association Publishing. Its NAICS code is 5131 and its SIC code is 8600.