About the SGE
Our Mission
The Society of Government Economists was founded in 1970 by a group of government economists seeking to promote the efficacy and status of the economics profession within the U.S. government. Our mission is to support the professional development of public policy economists by providing them with research publication and professional communication opportunities, as well as to enhance the influence of professional economists within the policymaking process. An independent non-profit organization, SGE is not affiliated with the U.S. government.
Our Membership
Since its foundation 35 years ago by a group of federal government economists, SGE has broadened its membership to include all professional economists concerned with the application of economics to public policy issues. Today, SGE boasts a nationwide membership of professional economists employed not only in federal, foreign and local governments but in academia, research institutions, industrial organizations, and private professional services as well.
Our Programs
SGE Biennial Conference
The SGE Biennial Conference is a full-day program of seminars and speakers presenting cutting-edge research on a selected topic in public policy. The next SGE Conference will take place October 27, 2006 in Washington , DC. See the call for papers and volunteers.
The 2004 SGE Conference, The Economic Challenges of an Aging Society, attracted roughly 160 participants and featured sessions on such diverse topics as social security and pensions, long-term care, age discrimination, transportation and international perspectives on retirement savings. The conference featured keynote speaker Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director of the Congressional Budget Office.
SGE-Sponsored Sessions at the Annual ASSA Conference
SGE is a long-standing sponsor of research sessions at the annual Allied Social Sciences Association/American Economics Association (ASSA/AEA) meetings. In 2006, SGE looks forward to presenting sessions on a diverse array of public policy issues including child care, higher education, household savings, tax policy and financial markets.
At each year’s ASSA conference, SGE also presents the annual SGE Distinguished Lecture on Economics in Government, co-sponsored by the AEA. In 2006, we are proud to announce that the SGE Distinguished Lecturer will be Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director of the Congressional Budget Office. Other recent SGE Distinguished Lectures include leading economists Katherine Abraham, Roger Ferguson, John Taylor, Martin Baily, Stanley Fischer and Rebecca Blank.
Speeches and Seminars
SGE Monthly Luncheons
SGE luncheons, held the third week of every month (except August) in downtown DC, present cutting-edge data and research on public policy issues by leading practitioners in the field. In the past two years, our speakers have included Edward Gresser (Progressive Policy Institute), Rudi Penner (Urban Institute), Michael Tanner (CATO Institute), Michael Carliner (National Association of Homebuilders), Eric Engen (American Enterprise Institute), George Yin (Joint Committee on Taxation), Barry Bosworth (Brookings Institution), Elizabeth Robinson (Congressional Budget Office), Robert Carroll (Treasury), Michael Horrigan (Bureau of Labor Statistics), William Gale (Brookings Institution), Greg Mankiw (Council of Economic Advisors), Steven Landefeld (Bureau of Economic Analysis), Fritz Scheueren (American Statistical Association), and Steven Kandarian (Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation).
SGE Evening Seminars
Several times per year, the SGE presents evening seminar panels on diverse public policy issues featuring expert scholars and practitioners in the field. Recent evening seminars have addressed topics such as “Tackling Social Security Reform,” with Eugene Steuerle (Urban Institute), Jagadeesh Gokhale (CATO Institute) and Peter Orszag (Brookings Institute); “Credit Cards and Financial Institution Abuse,” with Travis Plunkett (Consumer Federation of America), Linda Sherry (Consumer Action) and Lawrence Ausubel (University of Maryland); and “Identity Theft: How Large a Problem?” with Keith Anderson (Federal Trade Commission) and Jonathan Rusch (Justice Department).
Member-Organized Seminars
The SGE encourages its members to organize DC-area seminars on current topics in public policy featuring leading practitioners in the field, and will advertise them to its membership via its website, emails and publications. For more information, contact SGE President thornton.matheson@do.treas.gov.
Professional Communications
SGE Bulletin
\Early each month (except August), the SGE electronically distributes to its members the SGE Bulletin, which keeps them informed with notices of upcoming public policy events, book reviews of current economics-related releases, and detailed synopses of SGE luncheon speeches and seminars. In addition to the SGE Bulletin, our members are also notified of upcoming SGE events by direct emails.
Professional and Social Gatherings
The SGE encourages all of its members to join us for the SGE Annual Meeting held during the second half of June in downtown DC. To provide our members with networking (as well as recreational) opportunities, we also sponsor occasional downtown DC happy hours.