The death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in the US has provoked outrage around the world and a renewed concern about the consequences of racism in society and the economy.
As an open and inclusive society for economists of all backgrounds, one of our strategic priorities, as determined by our members, is to improve diversity in the discipline. State school and black students are under-represented amongst economics undergraduates and fewer than 30% of economics students are women. Women and people from some ethnic groups are under-represented in our university departments. We are proud to be a founding partner of the Discover Economics campaign which seeks to address these issues through changing perceptions of economics and increased student outreach. We have created this year a new role of RES Diversity Champion to monitor and promote diversity across the Society and its activities, including the diversity of our membership, committees, selection of speakers and appointment of editors.
The Black Economists Network in the UK has called for greater visibility, support and opportunities for black economists. We agree, and will work with the Black Economists Network and other groups to explore how the RES can best contribute. We are committed to taking further actions to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion for all marginalised and underrepresented groups.
