Cowles Summer Conferences through the years
The Cowles Summer Conferences evolved from gatherings of economists in the 1930s. The conferences have played a major role in facilitating scholarship over the decades.
Colorado Springs: 1935–1940
In June 1935, the Econometric Society held a meeting at Colorado College. After the meeting concluded, several economists and statisticians remained in Colorado Springs for more discussions and presentations. These eight talks at were retrospectively recognized as the Cowles Commission's first summer research conference. The sessions grew in subsequent years, eventually making Colorado Springs the "statistical capital of the world" during that period. Participants lived in Colorado College dormitories for three to four weeks. The schedule typically involved morning lectures and afternoons free for informal recreation and hiking near Pike's Peak.
University of Chicago: 1939–1955
The Commission moved its headquarters to the University of Chicago in 1939, but the summer conference was paused after 1940 as the United States entered World War II. Many scholars were diverted to assist in the war effort, including then-research director Theodore Yntema. Following the war, the annual event transitioned to specialized research conferences centered on specific topics. The first major post-war gathering was a conference on "Statistical Inference in Dynamic Economic Systems," held in early 1945.
Yale: 1955–Present
After the move to Yale in 1955, the Cowles Foundation sought to "extend and intensify" its conference program. The 50th-anniversary conference held in June 1983 was attended by 75 economists, 16 of whom were current or future Nobel Laureates in economics. That year, the focus was on the Cowles Foundation's historic and ongoing contributions to the discipline. Kenneth Arrow, Gerard Debreu, Edmond Malinvaud and Robert Solow contributed essays to commemorate the milestone.
For some time, conferences had been far less frequent and organized only ad hoc. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Cowles Commission, the Cowles Executive Committee decided to hold a week of conferences, one each for the four Cowles research program areas: Theory, Macro, Econometrics, Structural Microeconomics. This was held on campus in early June 2007, with overlapping 2-day schedules to encourage a little cross-fertilization. The reception to this event was so positive, that it was then decided to do it every year.
Since then, the conference week has expanded with the list of Cowles research programs. By 2026, the week included seven conferences, 64 presentations and over 350 attendees.
