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Welcome to the IEHA

The IEHA is an organization composed of national, regional and international associations in the field of economic history, broadly defined, and other related disciplines. It currently has 45 member organizations from almost 40 countries around the world. Today the seat of the Association is in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The aims of the IEHA are to promote the development and diffusion of economic history worldwide, through the organization of a World Congress every three years, amongst other activities.  Originally founded in 1960, the IEHA played a prominent role during the Cold War era in uniting scholars from across Europe, the Soviet Union, and North America, along with smaller numbers from Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and a wide range of developing countries.

​In recent decades, the IEHA has evolved as the global forum for economic historians worldwide, with each Congress attracting over 1,000 participants, and with increasing participation from the developing world.  The IEHA held a World Congress in Latin America for the first time in 2002 at Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in Africa for the first time in 2012 at Stellenbosch, South Africa.  Another recent  World Congress took place for the first time in Asia, at Kyoto, Japan, 3-7 August 2015, and in Boston, Massachusetts in 2018.. The latest one  was held in Paris, France in 2022.

The Organization of the IEHA

The organization of the IEHA is determined by its statutes.  The work of the International Economic History Association is coordinated by the following two bodies: 

The General Assembly

The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the Association. The General Assembly consists of one representative from each member organization of the Association and an alternate. The General Assembly meets at least once every three or four years on the occasion of the world congress. Among other things, the General Assembly is responsible for:

  • Approval of reports from the Executive Committee
  • Approval of the accounts of the IEHA
  • Election of the Executive Committee and its Officers
  • Authorisation of all changes in the Statutes of the IEHA 

Executive Committee 

The Executive Committee is responsible for executing the decisions of the General Assembly and for ensuring the realization of the aims of the Association. This includes the drafting of the scientific program of every World Congress, the overall responsibility for each World Congress, and the preparation of possible changes in the Statutes of the IEHA. The Committee meets once every year to discuss all issues relating to the IEHA. The executive committee currently consists of seventeen members.

Local Organizing Committee 

The Local Organizing Committee is responsible for the entire organization of the world congress, with the exception of the scientific program which is drafted by the Executive Committee. The vice-president of the IEHA chairs the organizing committee.

Former Honorary Presidents

Kristof Glamann
Jean-Francois Bergier 
Peter Mathias 
Herman van der Wee 
Gabriel Tortella 
Roberto Cortes Conde
Richard Sutch
Riitta Hjerppe