National Economic Association (NEA)

What National Economic Association (NEA) does

The National Economic Association (NEA) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in December 1969 (originally as the Caucus of Black Economists) and headquartered in the United States. It serves African American and other underrepresented minority economists, graduate students, and undergraduate students, with secondary audiences in policy and advocacy organizations seeking expertise on racial economic disparities. The organization operates with a small staff of 1-10 employees and no proprietary technology platform, relying instead on the Wild Apricot membership system for enrollment.

NEA's core products include the peer-reviewed quarterly Review of Black Political Economy journal (published via Sage), The Minority Report newsletter, the New Economic Analysis Newsletter, the annual Samuel Z. Westerfield Award, the Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Lecture, the Cornerstone Economists Recognition program, the annual Freedom and Justice Summer Conference co-hosted with AERIP and ASHE, NEA-sponsored paper sessions at AEA/ASSA annual meetings, and a webinar series including the 100 Years of African American Economists program. The organization has published The Review of Black Political Economy for multiple decades and supports thousands of research papers through NEA-sponsored sessions.

NEA's business model is a community-led subscription model funded primarily through annual membership dues paid by professional economists and students, supplemented by conference registration fees, foundation and academic institutional sponsorship (e.g., Russell Sage Foundation, Roosevelt Institute, The New School, Economic Policy Institute, Spelman College), journal subscription revenue, and donations processed through Wild Apricot. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

National Economic Association (NEA)

Legal name

National Economic Association

Website

https://neaecon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Economic Association (NEA) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1969 that serves African American and minority economists, students, and policy professionals through membership dues, conferences, publications, awards, and webinars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Economics Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Professional association membership
• Minority economist networking
• Academic journal publishing
• Academic conference services
• Professional development webinars

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NEA generates revenue through annual membership dues from professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students in economics and related disciplines. Members receive subscriptions to publications, access to webinars, the NEA Jobs Bulletin, and networking opportunities at conferences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Economic Association is a professional membership association for African American and minority economists and scholars. It provides annual membership, academic publications, conferences, webinars, awards, lectures, jobs resources, and networking opportunities focused on economic research and issues affecting communities of color.

Product overview

The National Economic Association (NEA) is a professional membership organization for African American economists and scholars focused on economic issues affecting communities of color. NEA operates as a unified professional association offering a portfolio of publications (including the Review of Black Political Economy journal, The Minority Report, and New Economic Analysis Newsletter), prestigious awards (Samuel Z. Westerfield Award, Cornerstone Economists recognition), lecture programs (Sir Arthur Lewis Lecture), and conference programming (Freedom and Justice Summer Conference and ASSA annual meeting sessions). The organization also provides member webinars and networking opportunities to promote the professional development and recognition of minority economists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Review of Black Political Economy (RBPE): A peer-reviewed quarterly journal published by the NEA, serving as the leading outlet for research examining issues related to the economic status of African-Americans and the African diaspora.
• The Minority Report
• New Economic Analysis Newsletter (NEAN)
• Samuel Z. Westerfield Award
• Cornerstone Economists
• Sir W. Arthur Lewis Memorial Lecture

Products and services

• NEA Membership Annual membership for professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students in economics and related disciplines, including access to publications, webinars, the NEA Jobs Bulletin, and networking opportunities at conferences.
• Review of Black Political Economy (RBPE) Peer-reviewed quarterly journal serving as an outlet for research examining the economic status of African-Americans and the African diaspora throughout the world.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of research papers presented at NEA-sponsored sessions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Association for Economic Research of Indigenous Peoples (AERIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERIP co-hosts the annual Freedom and Justice Summer Conference with NEA and ASHE. This partnership brings together scholars focused on economic issues affecting communities of color and Indigenous peoples. The 10th annual conference in 2026 features the theme 'Borders, State Power, and Resistance: Reclaiming Freedom and Justice.'
• American Society of Hispanic Economists (ASHE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASHE co-hosts the annual Freedom and Justice Summer Conference with NEA and AERIP, combining efforts to address economic issues affecting Hispanic, African American, and Indigenous communities.
• American Economic Association (AEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEA works closely with AEA through the Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession (CSMGEP). NEA has been a strong partner to AEA, with most CSMGEP members and chairs being NEA members. NEA plays vital leadership roles in AEA's Summer Minority Program and the NSF-funded AEA/CSMGEP Mentorship Program.
• Black Economic Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Bob Browne, the Black Economic Research Center was important in nurturing the Caucus of Black Economists (NEA's predecessor) in its early days and supporting research on issues affecting Black communities.
• Black Economic Research Center for the 21st CenturycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent partnership with the Black Economic Research Center for the 21st Century, whose inaugural Director is Dr. James B. Stewart, NEA past president and Samuel Z. Westerfield Award recipient.
• Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice, University of MinnesotamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the 10th Annual Freedom and Justice Summer Conference (July 30-August 1, 2026), located at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
• University of Puerto Rico at Rio PiedrasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the 9th Annual Freedom and Justice Summer Conference (July 31-August 2, 2025).
• Institute on Race, Power and Political EconomymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided generous support for the 2025 Freedom and Justice Summer Conference.
• Institute for Women's Policy ResearchsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for the 2025 Freedom and Justice Summer Conference.
• Roosevelt InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for the 2025 Freedom and Justice Summer Conference.
• Russell Sage FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for the 2025 Freedom and Justice Summer Conference.
• Washington Center for Equitable GrowthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for the 2025 Freedom and Justice Summer Conference.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Finance Association (AFA): Major US-based professional association for academic finance researchers. Comparable as a sibling discipline association running the Journal of Finance, annual meetings, and member services, and adjacent to NEA's economist audience.
• National Association for Business Economics (NABE): US-based professional association for business, government, and academic economists. Comparable as a membership association delivering networking, conferences, and publications, though focused on applied business economics rather than minority representation.
• Southern Economic Association (SEA): Regional economics professional association that hosts annual meetings where NEA members present papers. Comparable as a membership association running conferences and publishing journals in economics.
• American Economic Association (AEA): The largest and most established economics professional association in the US. NEA has a core partnership with AEA through CSMGEP and AEA Summer Minority Program; comparable as a membership association serving economists, but AEA is far broader in scope and serves the entire profession rather than minority economists specifically.
• Eastern Economic Association (EEA): Regional economics professional association running annual conferences and the journal Eastern Economic Journal. Directly comparable to NEA's conference-and-publication model but without NEA's minority-economist mission focus.
• Western Economic Association International (WEA): Regional economics association hosting conferences where NEA members present papers. Comparable in structure (membership, conference, journals) and target audience (academic economists), though broader in geographic scope than its name suggests.

Direct peers

• American Society of Hispanic Economists (ASHE): Core strategic partner of NEA and co-host of the Freedom and Justice Summer Conference. ASHE serves Hispanic economists through analogous membership, conference, and publication activities — making it the closest functional peer to NEA in mission and structure.
• Association for Economic Research of Indigenous Peoples (AERIP): Co-host with NEA of the annual Freedom and Justice Summer Conference, focused on economic issues affecting Indigenous peoples. Directly comparable as a small, identity-based economics association partnering on flagship programming.

Emerging players

• Omicron Delta Epsilon (Economics Honor Society): International economics honor society with student and faculty members, providing networking, awards, and academic recognition. Comparable to NEA in serving economics students and faculty through membership and recognition programs, though focused on academic excellence rather than minority representation.

Regional players

• International Association for Research in Income and Wealth (IARIW): International academic association focused on research on income and wealth distribution — topically aligned with NEA's research focus on economic disparities. Comparable as a small specialized economics research association with conferences and publications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/neaecon
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSgjFWkaPMoTAgZP35M-zXg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-economic-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Economic Association (NEA)