Cowles Foundation Code of Professional Conduct

Adopted March 10, 2023

The Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics holds that principles of professional conduct should guide its Research Staff Members, Visiting Faculty, and Postdoctoral Fellows, as well as all Participants of Cowles Conferences and other Cowles Events.

The Cowles Foundation founding purpose of “the conduct and encouragement of research in economics” requires intellectual and professional integrity. Integrity demands honesty, care, and transparency in conducting and presenting research; disinterested assessment of ideas; acknowledgement of limits of expertise; and disclosure of real and perceived conflicts of interest.

The Cowles Foundation encourages freedom of economic discussion. This goal requires an environment where all can freely participate and where each idea is considered on its own merits. Economists have a professional obligation to conduct civil and respectful discourse in all forums, including those that allow confidential or anonymous participation.

The Cowles Foundation seeks to create a professional environment with equal opportunity and fair treatment for all economists, regardless of age, sex, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, health condition, marital status, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, professional status, or personal connections.

The Cowles Research Staff Members, Visiting Faculty, and Postdoctoral Fellows, as well as all Participants of Cowles Conferences and other Cowles Events, have both an individual responsibility for their own conduct, and a collective responsibility to promote professional conduct. These responsibilities include developing institutional arrangements and a professional environment that promote free expression concerning economics. These responsibilities also include supporting participation and advancement in the economics profession by individuals from all backgrounds, including particularly those that have been historically underrepresented.

The Cowles Foundation strives to promote these principles through its activities.