Society's Constitution of the History of Economics Society

Amendments through June 2005

The original constitution was adopted at the first annual business meeting at Chapel Hill, NC, May 29, 1974. The revision adopted at the fifteenth annual business meeting at Toronto, June 19, 1988 appears in the History of Economics Society Bulletin, 11, no. 1, Spring 1989, pp. 155-60. The Constitution was amended on June 21, 1997 to reflect the change in the name of the Society journal from the History of Economics Society Bulletin to the Journal of the History of Economic Thought, and the addition of an archivist and of a manager of electronic information to the officers of the Society. Article V.2 was adopted June 15, 1991 and Article IV.3 on June 20, 1998. The Constitution was amended on June 25, 2005 to replace the Secretary-Treasurer position with two officers of the Society, the Secretary and the Treasurer.

Article I

NAME

The name of the Society shall be "History of Economics Society."

Article II

PURPOSES

The purpose of the Society shall be to:

1. Promote interest in and inquiry into the history of economics and related parts of intellectual history.
2. Facilitate communication and discourse among scholars working in the field of the history of economics.
3. Disseminate knowledge about the history of economics.

Article III

MEMBERSHIP

1. Any individual, institution, or organization interested in promoting the object of the Society may become a member upon the payment of the annual dues.

2. The annual membership dues for individual members shall be recommended by the Executive Committee (see Article V) and approved by majority vote of the members present at the business meeting to which the recommendation is made.

3. Membership shall be for one calendar year or shall date from the time of the receipt of the annual dues if paid after January 1, and shall expire at the end of the calendar year.

Article IV

OFFICERS

1. The Society shall have the following elected officers: A President, a President-Elect, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, and the four elected members of the Executive Committee (see Article V).

2. The editor of the Journal of the History of Economic Thought, the manager of electronic information, and the Society archivist shall be officers of the Society. The Executive Committee (see Article V) shall appoint them and fix their terms of office.

3. The editor of the Journal of the History of Economic Thought and the manager of electronic information shall, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, appoint members of editorial boards to assist them. The editor and manager shall be ex officio members and chairpersons of their respective Boards.

Article V

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The Executive Committee of the Society shall consist of the President, the President-Elect, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the two immediate past Presidents, the elected members of the Executive Committee, the editor of the Journal of the History of Economic Thought, and the manager of electronic information. The latter two officers shall not have a vote. The Executive Committee shall be chaired by the President. The voting members present at an Executive Committee meeting shall constitute a quorum.

2. The Executive Committee may remove from office a member elected to the Executive Committee after two consecutive absences from regularly scheduled meetings unless he or she is able to justify the absences to the satisfaction of the Executive Committee.

Article VI

MEETINGS

1. There shall be one annual regular meeting (described as the "regular meeting") of the Society, at a time and place to be designated by the President-Elect, for the transaction of business and the presentation of a program. All members shall be notified of the time and place of the regular meeting at least two months before the date of such meeting.

2. There shall be a business meeting at each regular meeting, chaired by the President. At the business meeting, the immediate past President and the Treasurer shall make their reports, and the results of the election of the officers of the Society for the ensuing year shall be announced by the Secretary. The members present at the business meeting shall constitute a quorum. Each individual member shall have one vote. Institutions and organizations shall not have a vote.

3. The Executive Committee shall meet at the regular meeting of the Society.

4. If possible, the Society shall offer sessions at the time and place of the annual American Economic Association meeting, and if possible the Executive Committee shall meet at that time and place. The sessions offered by the Society and the meeting of the Executive Committee at that meeting will be described as the "winter meeting" of the Society.

5. Business and Executive Committee meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order.

Article VII

TERMS OF OFFICE

The terms of office of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall each be one year. The terms of all elected officials shall begin with the first function at the regular meeting of the Society, whether that be registration, a business meeting, a meeting of the Executive Committee, or other activity. The President-Elect shall serve for one year and shall then become President. The terms of office of the four elected members of the Executive Committee shall each be three years. The terms of the four elected members of the Executive Committee shall be staggered insofar as is possible. With the exceptions of the Secretary and the Treasurer, no elected officer of the Society shall be eligible to succeed himself or herself.

Article VIII

NOMINATIONS

The chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall be the ex-President who goes off the Executive Committee at the beginning of the regular meeting. If that person is not available, the President shall appoint the chairperson. Within one month of the beginning of the regular meeting, the President shall appoint two other members of the Nominating Committee selected from the membership of the Society. Members may submit suggested nominations for the various officers to the Nominating Committee. All nominees shall be members of the Society. The Nominating Committee shall present to the President on or before November 15 for action of the Executive Committee at its winter meeting one nominee for President-Elect, one nominee for Secretary, one nominee for Treasurer, and either one or more than two nominations for each of the other elective offices to be filled. The Executive Committee shall approve or reject nominations and may substitute other nominees for those chosen by the Nominating Committee or make additions to them consistent with the numbers provided in this Constitution. The ballot shall provide the opportunity for members to write in the names of persons for each office.

Article IX

FILLING VACANCIES

In the event of the death, resignation, or disability of the President, the President-Elect shall fill the unexpired part of his or her term. In the event of the death, resignation, or disability of the President-Elect, the Vice-President shall assume his or her duties until another President-Elect is elected by the membership following the established procedure, which shall be initiated immediately. In the event of a vacancy not otherwise provided for in the Article, the Executive Committee may elect a successor to fill the unexpired term.

Article X

DUTIES OF OFFICERS

1. The President shall be the general executive officer of the Society, administer the affairs of the Society under the direction of the Executive Committee, and appoint all committees other than the Executive Committee.

2. The President-Elect shall be responsible for the preparation of the program at the regular meeting in consultation with the President.

3. The Vice-President shall organize the program at the winter meeting held the year following the year in which he or she holds office. The Vice-President shall provide opportunities for the membership and other persons to make proposals about the sessions at that meeting and be sensitive to such proposals but not bound to adopt them.

4. The Executive Committee shall conduct the affairs of the Society. This committee shall have the duty of procuring adequate funds for the Society and shall have the control and management of such funds. It shall have the responsibility of maintaining and increasing the membership. It may propose to the membership at the business meeting rules and regulations for the conduct of the Society's business not inconsistent with the Constitution and adopt measures that are necessary to carry out policies that are approved at the business meeting. It shall decide whether or not to offer sessions jointly with other organizations and if appropriate decide the time and place of such meetings. It shall appoint the organizers of the programs of the Society offered at such meetings other than the meetings held with the AEA.

5. The Treasurer shall perform his or her duties under the supervision of the President. These duties shall include the following:

1. Receive dues and other payments, maintain bank accounts in the name of the Society, and pay the Society's bills. 2. Obtain an official audit of the financial state of the Society just prior to the winter meeting of the Executive Committee and prepare a financial report for the Society each year, and a written report covering his or her activities during the past year. The audit and the report shall be presented to the Executive Committee at its winter meeting and made available to the membership at the regular business meeting. 3. File annual 990 forms with the United States Internal Revenue Service and oversee reporting to insure and maintain the Society's tax free status. 4. Manage the Society's investments, in consort with any Investments Committee, and report on these investments at each Executive Committee meeting. 5. Sign contracts on behalf of the Society, and maintain such contracts, as may be necessary, and promptly report all such contract signatures to the Executive Committee. 6. Perform additional financial duties assigned by the President- Elect, the President, or the Executive Committee.

6. The Secretary shall perform his or her duties under the supervision of the President. These duties shall include the following:

1. Maintain an up-to-date list of members. 2. Prepare and send out notices of membership dues by November 1. 3. Record the proceedings of the business meetings of the Society and the meetings of its Executive Committee, and keep (or cause to be kept) a record of Society business that takes place electronically. 4. Conduct the annual election electronically on or about March 1, and report the results to the Executive Committee. 5. If needed, arrange for a meeting room for the winter Executive Committee meeting. 6. Transmit to the Archivist all records, minutes, ballots, and all other materials generated in the execution of the office of Secretary. 7. Perform additional secretarial duties assigned by the President-Elect, the President, or the Executive Committee.

7. The Archivist shall, under the supervision of the President, collect, conserve, and communicate materials relevant to the History of Economics Society and its objectives and purposes, and perform such other duties as the Executive Committee may assign to him or her.

Article XI

DISTINGUISHED FELLOWS

1. The Society may designate Distinguished Fellows, who shall be living at the time of their election.

2. They shall be nominated by a Distinguished Fellows Committee constituted of the most recent available three past Presidents of the Society and chaired by the most recent of them. The nominations shall be presented to the Executive Committee on or before November 15. The Executive Committee shall select the Distinguished Fellows.

3. There shall be no more than two Distinguished Fellows elected in any year.

Article XII

AMENDMENTS

1. Proposed constitutional changes shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee and sent with positive, negative, or no recommendation to the membership.

2. All members shall be informed by the Secretary by letter of proposed amendments at least two months in advance of the vote on them.

3. A constitutional change requires the approval of two-thirds of the membership voting yes or no at a regular business meeting.

Article XIII

DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of the Society, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the liabilities of the Society, dispose of all remaining assets of the Society. The disposition shall be made by the Executive Committee exclusively so as to further the purposes of the Society. The assets may be given entirely or in part to such organization or organizations selected by the Executive Committee that are organized and operated exclusively for educational or scientific purposes and that at the time of dissolution qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. © History of Economics Society 2005 Last updated: 5 July 2005