International Economics Section (IES)

As a hub for research and teaching in international economics, Princeton IES proudly hosts two visiting fellowships alongside several other research activities.

90 years of Princeton IES

Princeton IES was founded in 1930 by a gift made in memory of James Theodore Walker, Class of 1927. Today, the income from the Walker Foundation is used to finance both the section and the Walker Professorship of Economics and International Finance. The current holder of the Walker Professorship is Mark Aguiar.

Princeton IES Leadership

Mark Aguiar was appointed director of Princeton IES in July 2021. Edwin W. Kemmerer, the first Walker Professor, was the founding director. He was succeeded by Gardner Patterson (1949-1958), Lester Chandler (1958-1960), Fritz Machlup (1960-1971), Peter B. Kenen (1971-1999), and finally Gene Grossman, who held the position from 1999-2021.

Spend a Year with Princeton IES

The section operates two annual research programs: The Peter B. Kenen Fellowships and the IES Postdoctoral Fellowships. Recipients of both fellowships spend an academic year in residence at Princeton, conducting their own research on topics in international economics and participating in the intellectual life of the section and the Department of Economics.

Academic Activities on Campus

Each spring, the section invites an accomplished scholar to deliver the prestigious Graham Lecture. In the summer, the section convenes a three-day Summer Trade Workshop in Princeton that brings together leading international trade economists from around the world. The section also operates a weekly research seminar in international trade for members of the Department of Economics.

Historical Publications

Many of the section’s influential early essays about international events and policy issues have been archived and are freely available online. This includes the Essays in International Economics, the Princeton Studies in International Economics, and the Special Papers in International Economics.

Recognizing Outstanding Princeton Graduate Students

The section awards the annual Avinash K. Dixit Prize in International Economics to one or more third-year Princeton graduate students who have excelled in their early studies of international trade or international macroeconomics. The 2023 winner was Michael Jenuwine.