LACEA was established in 1992 by a group of economists with a common interest in Latin American economic issues. The purpose of LACEA is to encourage greater professional interaction and dialogue among researchers and policy-makers concerned with Latin American and the Caribbean.
LACEA is part of the Allied Social Sciences Association. LACEA organizes sessions at the annual meetings of the American Economic Association, the Latin American Studies Association and the Econometric Society/Latin America meetings.
LACEA also hosts a large annual meeting in Latin America with over 200 papers and nearly 300 participants. A policy oriented journal focusing on Latin American economic issues is also in the works.