Stability and progress in the world economy/edited by Douglas Hague

The International Economic Association, which was formally created in 1950 to promote closer relations between the economists of different nations and to contribute in that way to the development of the science of economics, had worked during the first five years of its life principally through the holding of small annual conferences of invited specialists in different branches of the subject. It was decided that in 1956, on the occasion of the third triennial meeting of the Council of the Association, there should be held for the first time a Congress, open without limitation to any member of the various national associations of academic economists affiliated to the International Economic Association. It was the purpose of the Association to provide in that way, to a larger and wider audience of economists, the opportunity of meeting and discussing with economists of other nations.

It has from the first been a tradition of the International Economic Association to organize its conferences about a single general theme. On this occasion that method was once again followed, and the theme chosen was that of Stability and Progress in the World Economy'. It was my task, as President at that time, to enlist a group of distinguished economists, representative of different nations and different schools of economics, to deliver addresses to the Congress on five different, but inevitably not wholly separate, aspects of our general problem. We were exceedingly fortunate in persuading Sir Dennis Robertson, representing with great distinction English economics, to give the first address. He was followed by Professor Viner, an equally distinguished and equally appropriate representative of American economics. In Professor François Perroux we were particularly fortunate in securing the opportunity of hearing one of the most eminent and original of French econo mists. Professor Haberler, first President of the Association, was exceptionally qualified to represent on this occasion the Austrian as well as the American tradition. Finally came Professor Lundberg, as one of the most distinguished of the great Scandinavian school of economics. To all of these we owe a great debt of gratitude.