European Society for the History of Economic Thought

Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT (ESHET)

Article 1: Name

The name of the Society is "The European Society for the History of Economic Thought" ("Europäische Gesellschaft für die Geschichte des Oekonomischen Denkens"; "Société Européenne d'Histoire de la Pensée Economique").

Article 2: Legal status

The Society is a non-profit organisation according to German law (nicht rechtsfähiger Verein, n.r.V.) which pursues objectives exclusively according to article 4. In the event of the dissolution of the Society, any remaining assets of the Society are to be distributed by decision of the Executive Committee to a ‘non-profit organisation[s]’ – as defined in European Union law – whose purposes include the promotion of research and teaching in the history of economic thought.”

Article 3: Location

The legal headquarters of the Society is Frankfurt am Main; local address: FB Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität.

Article 4: Objectives

The objectives of the society shall be to promote

4.1 teaching and research in the history of economic thought in Europe, taking account of different traditions and languages.

4.2 cooperation with European national economic societies and organisations in the history of economic thought;

4.3 communications and the exchange of ideas amongst European teachers and researchers in the history of economic thought, including conferences, seminars and summer schools;

4.4 the establishment of links with national economic societies and organisations for the history of economic thought outside Europe;

4.5 innovative methods in the teaching of the history of economic thought;

4.6 collaborative research in the history of economic thought on a European basis.

Article 5: Membership

5.1 Membership is for a single calendar year and will be automatically renewed every year, unless it is explicitly stated by the applicant that the membership is to expire at the end of the year.

5.2 Any individual interested in the objectives of the Society is eligible in principle for membership upon payment of the annual membership fee. Institutional membership on a non-voting basis is available to public or private institutions which provide the Society with material support.

5.3 The Society's membership fees for individual and institutional members shall be re viewed annually by the Executive Committee and determined by a majority vote of those pre sent at the Annual General Meeting.

5.4 Honorary life membership is available to scholars nominated by the Council who have made distinguished contributions to the history of economic thought. Honorary members are elected at the Annual General Meeting, after having been nominated by the Council and after approval by the Executive Committee. Any member of the Society may propose an individual for nomination by the Council as an Honorary Member.

Article 6: General Assembly

6.1 The General Assembly of the Society consists of all fully paid-up members of the Society.

6.2 The general policies of the Society shall be determined by the General Assembly through a simple majority of votes.

6.3 There shall be an Annual General Meeting of members of the Society to determine, in particular, a programme of activities and to take decisions concerning the Society's financial management.

6.4 The Society will call an Extraordinary General Meeting at the request of either (a) a ma jority of the Executive Committee; (b) fifteen percent of the membership of the Society.

6.5 The Society will conduct a ballot of its membership on non-election issues at the request of either (a) a majority of the Executive Committee; (b) twenty-five percent of the mem bership of the Society.

Article 7: Council

7.1 The Council of the Society consists of between eight and sixteen members elected by the Annual General Meeting from nominations put forward by the Executive Committee.

7.2 The term of office for membership of the Council of the Society shall be two years. Members of the Council are eligible for re-election provided that they have not served three consecutive terms of office in the previous six years.

7.3 The Council will appoint from its members a Chair and a Vice-Chair.

7.4 The Council of the Society will nominate Honorary Members; appoint auditors; review the Society's programme of activities; and provide advice and support to the Executive Committee on matters of interest to the Society. It acts as the jury if the Society decides to award prizes.

Article 8: The Executive Committee

8.1 The Executive Committee of the Society consists of the President, the Chair of the Council, the Past President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and three Ordinary Members. The Executive Committee may co-opt an additional member who will be non-voting and will be invited to serve for the full or part of its two-year term of office.

8.2 The Treasurer, the Chair of the Council and the Past President are ex officio non-voting members of the Executive Committee.

8.3 The President and all members of the Executive Committee other than the ex officio members are elected by ballot of the General Assembly from nominations put forward at the Annual General Meeting. If the ballot leads to the result that more than four members of the Executive Committee (including the President) would come from the same country, the member (or members) with the relatively fewest votes from that country will have to make room for the candidate (or candidates) from another country who is (or are) next in the ranking of votes.

8.4 The term of office for the elected posts on the Executive Committee is two years. Members of the Executive Committee are eligible for re-election provided that they have not served two consecutive terms of office in the previous four years. The President of the Society becomes the Past President after having served a single term of office.

8.5 The Executive Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Society's pro­gramme of activities within the framework of objectives contained in Article 4 of the Constitu tion.

8.6 The Executive Committee is responsible for the financial management of the Society and for ensuring that its funds are administered in a manner consistent with the objectives of the Society.

8.7 The Executive Committee is empowered to authorise some of its members to act individually or collectively on behalf of the association. The Executive Committee is empowered to appoint individuals or committees of mem bers of the Society to carry out particu lar tasks in the Society's programme of activities.

8.8 The Executive Committee will organise the Annual General Meeting of the Society and present reports on the Society's programme of activities, the results of elections and the Society's financial position.

Article 9: Duties of Officers

9.1 President
The President of the Society will preside over meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Assembly. The President is responsible for representing the interests of the Society and for the development of its programme of activities within the framework of its objectives. The President may not serve two consecutive terms of office.

9.2 Vice-President
The Vice-President will act on behalf of the President in the event that the President is unable to act in the performance of his or her duties. The Executive Committee shall appoint the Vice-President from amongst its members to serve for two years.

9.3 Secretary
The Secretary of the Society will assist the President in the pursuit of the Society's objectives. The Secretary is responsible, in particular, for maintaining the Society's membership list; for keeping the records of the Society; and for publishing the minutes of the meetings of the Council, the Executive Committee and the General Assembly. The Executive Committee shall appoint the Secretary from amongst its members to serve for two years.

9.4 Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for the day-to-day financial affairs of the Society and shall report on these at least once a year to the Council, the Executive Committee and the General Assembly. The Executive Committee shall appoint the Treasurer to serve for two years. The Treasurer is eligible for re-appointment provided he or she has not served four consecutive terms of office in the preceding eight years.

Article 10: Senate

Former Presidents of the Society can be made Honorary Presidents of ESHET by the General Assembly. Together all the Honorary Presidents constitute the Senate of ESHET, which can be consulted by the Executive Committee on the question of the election of future Presidents and on other matters of importance.

Article 11: Budget and Accounts

11.1 The financial year of the Society ends on 31 December of each year.

11.2 At the end of each financial year, the Council shall appoint two or more auditors who are not themselves members of the Executive Committee. The auditors will present a report of their audit of the financial accounts to the Society's next Annual General Meeting.

Article 12: Amendment to the Constitution

12.1 Without restricting the applicability of the corresponding provisions of German law, any proposal to alter the Constitution or to dissolve the Society shall emanate from the Execu tive Committee or from at least one third of the membership of the Society.

12.2 A decision requires the approval of two-thirds of those responding in a ballot of the Society.

Article 13: Matters not covered by the Constitution

13.1 All matters not covered by German law or in the Constitution are regulated by the Society's internal Procedures. The Society's internal Procedures shall be formulated by the Executive Committee and ratified by the General Assembly.

13.2 This Constitution and its amendments according to 11.2 become effective according to the prescriptions of the German BGB.