2016 Conference

Click here to view the Conference Program

The 2016 conference has now been archived in our Previous Conferences.

SECOND CALL for PAPERS:

We are pleased to make several exciting announcements about the 2016 Annual Meetings.

1. The plenary speakers for our 2016 Annual Meetings have been set. First we will have Vernon L. Smith of Chapman University, Past President of the Society and 2002 Nobel Laureate, who will kick things off in our Thursday opening address. On Friday our plenary speaker will be Robert D. Cooter of California Berkeley, author of the monumental The Strategic Constitution among much more. On Friday we will have David M. Levy of George Mason University and Sandra J. Peart of the University of Richmond, who will co-present archival research into the question, how the Virginia School got its name.

2. The second annual Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Prize will award $1,000 to the best combined paper & presentation by a graduate students. Please see the Awards Page for eligibility and competition details.

3. Under our Student Fellows Program, we are able to offer a limited number of travel stipends to graduate students . Please see details under the Conference Procedures below.

Please continue reading our initial CFP below, which has further information about the 2016 Annual Meetings. Thank you.

CALL for CONFERENCE PAPERS:

We are pleased to invite you to the 53rd Annual Meetings of the Public Choice Society, which will be held March 10-12, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The 2016 conference will have over 60 concurrent sessions presenting new research in all areas of public choice, plus three plenary sessions featuring timely and important presentations by major scholars. The conference begins at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday March 10 with our first plenary session, followed by a cocktail reception in the Pier Top room with 360-degree views (shown above). The rest of the conference will take place on Friday and Saturday. There are no Sunday sessions.

Socializing and sustenance will be abundant, as the conference will feature continental breakfast each day, coffee breaks between academic sessions, and cocktail receptions on Thursday and Saturday nights. A common luncheon on Saturday will announce the Society’s incoming President and we will confer the second annual Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Prize, the Duncan Black Prize, and the Gordon Tullock Prize. A number of organizations will exhibit books and journals, with special discounts available to conference attendees.

Finally, Ft. Lauderdale in March is an ideal location, and the Pier 66 Hotel provides many interesting architectural and historical features. Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) is a 15-minute cab ride. Additional major airports in the area include Palm Beach International (PBI) and Miami International (MIA). The hotel group rate is $219 for single/double occupancy. The conference registration is $200 for students and $250 for non-students. We anticipate being able to again offer funding for graduate student travel on a competitive basis.

In short, the 2016 conference is shaping up to be a wonderful event. So come discover new lines of research, catch up with old friends, and have a good time. We especially encourage you to share this with your graduate students, who will benefit from an invigorating atmosphere, rigorous discussion of their papers, and the chance to compete for the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Prize for best combined paper & presentation.

Scholars can propose their papers beginning October 1. The submission deadline is December 1. Soon we will post complete details about proposing papers and sessions. If you have further questions, please contact us using the link at the top right.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, we look forward to seeing you in South Florida next March, and we thank you for participating in The Public Choice Society.

Sincerely yours,
Roberta Herzberg
President, 2014-2016

and

Edward J. Lopez
Executive Director and Past President

Important Dates

10/1/2015	Website open for paper proposals and early registration
12/1/2015	Paper Proposal Submission Deadline
1/1/2016	Authors informed of status of their proposals
1/15/2016 Delayed to 1/18/2016	Preliminary conference program is published online
2/1/2016	Revised conference program is published online
2/14/2016	Graduate student deadline to upload paper for Ostrom Prize
2/6/2016	Regular registration deadline
2/7/2016	Late registration begins
2/28/2016	Deadline for authors to upload complete papers
3/10/2016	Conference begins at 4:00 p.m

Conference Agenda

Thursday March 10	1:00 – 7:00 p.m. Conference Registration and Publishers Exhibit
	4:00 p.m. Opening Plenary Address Vernon L. Smith 2002 Nobel Laureate and Past President of the Society “On Proving Your Beliefs to be False”
	5:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception for all Attendees
	7:30 p.m. Dinner on Own
Friday March 11	7:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
	8:00 a.m. – 5:50 p.m. Academic Sessions
	Plenary Session 2 (Time TBD) Robert D. Cooter, University of California, Berkeley “Why Economic Analysis Has So Little Influence on Constitutional Interpretation by Courts, And What to Do About It”
	6:00 Dinner on Own
Saturday March 12	7:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
	8:00 a.m. – 5:50 p.m. Academic Sessions
	Plenary Session 3 (Time TBD) David M. Levy, George Mason University, and Sandra J. Peart, University of Richmond “‘Almost Wholly Negative’: The Ford Foundation’s Appraisal of the Virginia School”
	1:00 – 2:40 p.m. Awards Luncheon and Presidential Address
	6:00 p.m. Closing Reception for all Attendees
	7:30 p.m. Dinner on Own
Sunday March 13	Depart

Archived Information for the 2016 Conference

Conference Procedures

SUBMIT PROPOSALS: To propose your paper for the conference, please visit the Submit Paper tab here on the PCS website starting October 1. Presenting authors will initially submit just the title and abstract of their papers. The submission deadline is December 1. The conference selection committee will review proposals and notify authors by January 1. If your paper is selected for the program, you are asked to upload the complete draft of your paper no later than February 28. Following Public Choice Society tradition, all presenting authors also serve as Discussant on another paper presented during the same session.

PAPER PRESENTERS: If you are presenting a paper (as opposed to presenting on a panel discussion), please upload a PDF file of your paper no later than February 28. Papers will not be searchable and are viewable only by PCS members while logged into the website. You will have the option of leaving your paper for the conference archives or taking it down at the end of the conference. The Society retains no rights or privileges to work presented or posted here. To upload your paper, simply log in to the site and browse to the My Account section where you will find the paper upload tool.

CHAIR DUTIES: If you are chairing a paper session, please check to see that presenters on your session have uploaded their papers no later than February 28. Session Chairs are also responsible for establishing and enforcing time allocations. With four papers per 90 minute session, chairs should use good judgment to allocate the available time to presenter and discussants while leaving some time for floor discussion. A baseline is 15 minutes per presenter, 5 minutes per discussant, and 10 minutes for floor discussion.

DISCUSSANT DUTIES: In most cases, each presenter is also a discussant on the same session. Please locate the paper you are discussion here on the PCS website beginning February 28. Prepare critical and constructive comments in advance, and aim your remarks so as to promote rigorous yet collegial discussion during the session.

ORGANIZED SESSIONS: If you would like to propose an entire organized session, please contact the Society President who will reply with criteria and instructions. Program space for organized sessions may be limited.

MEETING ROOM SETUP: Each concurrent session will take place in a hotel meeting room, equipped with a podium, screen, and projector for laptop hookup. There is a limited number of WiFi connections available to PCS attendees in the meeting room space.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION: Conference registration is $200 for students and $250 for non-students if received by February 6, after which the rates increase by $75. Individuals who present multiple papers are asked to submit $25 per additional paper. To submit your registration payment, or to confirm that you have paid, simply log in to your account and view the information presented in the My Account area.

STUDENT FELLOWS PROGRAM: Subject to funding, we are able to offer a limited number of graduate students with financial assistance to present a paper at the 2016 Annual Meetings. Applicants will be asked to provide a letter from their adviser or chair and either: 1) submit a paper proposal through the Society website, in accordance with the procedures and deadlines in the online Call for Papers; or 2) be already slated to present a paper on an organized session. Application instructions will be posted here soon.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If for some regrettable reason you must cancel then your registration payment will be refunded according to the following schedule: full refund if cancellation notice is received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 20; 50% refund if received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 20; no refund if received by 12:00 a.m. on February 21 or later. Use the Contact Form at the top right of the website to email the PCS office with “Registration Cancellation” in the subject line and a brief explanation in the email body.

EXHIBITORS: Publishers and other organizations are invited to exhibit! Please reach us at the Contact link above. We will reply with information about the exhibit space, shipping, and all other details you will need.

Hotel Information

The Hyatt Regency Pier 66 is named for its founding company, Phillips Petroleum, which developed the 22 acre property and originally operated the hotel. The 17-story tower is a fixture in the Ft. Lauderdale skyline, and provides 360-degree panoramic views of South Florida.

UPDATE: Room availability at the conference rate has been nearly depleted. Please call the hotel line to determine options, 888-421-1442. We apologize for any inconenience. To book your room at the conference single/double rate of $219 Marina / $239 Tower Balcony, simply browse to PCS’s dedicated reservation system. You may also call their reservations center at 888-421-1442. A friendly reminder that there is a five night maximum per reservation against the Conference block, and the reservations cut off date is February 18th, 2016.

Visitor and Transportation Info

Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) is serviced by several European and all major U.S. airlines. Alternative major airports in the area include Palm Beaches International (PBI) and Miami International (MIA).

The Hyatt Regency is a 15 minute drive from the FLL airport. Unfortunately the hotel does not offer an airport shuttle service. Ground transportation is available upon arrival or by advance reservation.