Statutes of the society for social choice and welfare
Article 1. Name, legal form, seat, purpose and financial year.
(1) The name of the Society is Society for Social Choice and Welfare. It is an association ruled according to the law of 1901 regarding associations and registered at the Préfecture du Calvados.
(2) The legal seat of the Society is the University of Caen-Basse-Normandie, Esplanade de la Paix, Caen, France.
(3) The purpose of the Society is to promote the advancement of knowledge in social choice and welfare economics and to facilitate communication among researchers from numerous disciplines working on social choice and welfare economics. Conferences, seminars, workshops, biennial meetings and the publication of a journal serve this purpose.
(4) The financial year is the calendar year.
Article 2. Membership.
(1) Membership is available to every individual with an interest in social choice and welfare economics. The admission of a new member takes effect from the moment the Society receives the relevant membership dues.
(2) Membership expires when membership dues remain unpaid or on the death of the member.
(3) Membership may be suspended by the Council if the member is deemed unsuitable or likely to hamper the Society’s activities.
Article 3. Organs.
The organs of the Society are:
(a) The General Assembly,
(b) The Executive Committee,
(c) The Council.
The functions of the organs are described in Articles (4) to (6) below.
Article 4. The General Assembly.
(1) The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the Society and is composed of the members of the Society.
(2) Each member is eligible to vote on all resolutions proposed to the General Assembly and in all elections of the Society. No proxy voting is permitted.
(3) The General Assembly meets at the time of each biennial meeting.
(4) The General Assembly has the power to pass all resolutions expedient for the pursuit of the aims of the Society unless the resolution is part of the responsibilities of the executive Committee according to these statutes. Resolutions on:
– amendments concerning these statutes,
– the election of the President-elect and the Council,
– the approval of the biennial report,
– the dissolving or alteration of the legal form of the Society
are incumbent upon the General Assembly and cannot be withdrawn.
(5) The election of the President-Elect and the Council are carried out by means of a ballot sent to all members of the Society. The nominees for these positions are determined by a Nominating Committee appointed by the Executive Committee.
(6) Meetings of the General Assembly are chaired by the President of the Society. If the President is absent, then a meeting of the General Assembly is presided over by another member of the Executive Committee.
(7) The General Assembly passes resolutions by a simple majority of votes cast, except in the cases explicitly mentioned in the statutes.
(8) Resolutions of the General Assembly are passed by a raise of hands, except in the cases explicitly mentioned in the statutes. However, at the request of any member present a secret ballot replaces the raise of hands.
Article 5. The Executive Committee
(1) The Executive Committee consists of the President, the President-Elect, the Past President, and the Secretary-Treasurer.
(2) The Executive Committee is responsible for the organization and the daily administration of the Society.
(3) The Executive Committee shall submit a statement of revenues and expenditures to the General Assembly.
(4) The election procedure used for the President-Elect is Approval Voting. In the case that more than one candidate receives the most votes, then a run-off election between these candidates will be held. If more than one candidate receives the most votes in a run-off election, then the Secretary-Treasurer shall determine the winner by lot in the presence of at least two other members of the Society.
(5) The President-Elect is elected for a term of two years. After the two-year term as President-Elect, the President-Elect becomes President for two years, followed by two years as Past President. No individual may serve more than one term as President. If the President is unable to carry out her/his duties, she/he is replaced by the PresidentElect for the remainder of the current President’s term. She/he will continue to serve as President during his/her normal two-year term. If the President-Elect is unable to carry out her/his duties, a special election will be called as soon as possible to select a new President-Elect. If the Past President is unable to carry out her/his duties, this position will remain vacant for the rest of her/his term.
(6) The Secretary-Treasurer shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for a term of four years. The Secretary-Treasurer may be reappointed for one or more additional terms. If the Secretary-Treasurer is unable to carry out her/his duties during her/his term, a new Secretary-Treasurer shall be appointed for a term of four years.
(7) The Executive Committee draws up its own bylaws.
Article 6. The Council.
(1) The Executive Committee is supported by a Council the members of which are distinct from the members of the Executive Committee.
(2) The Council consists of the past Presidents and of 24 elected members of the Society.
(3) The non-permanent members of the Council are elected for a term of six years.
Every two years, eight members of the Council are replaced. The applicable election procedure is Approval Voting. In the case that more than eight candidates receive the eight highest vote totals, then from among those of these candidates who received the fewest number of votes, the Secretary-Treasurer shall determine the winner(s) by lot in the presence of at least two other members of the Society. Retiring members of the Council are not immediately eligible for re-election. Any member of Council who is unable to complete
her/his term or who becomes a member of the Executive Committee during her/his term
shall not be replaced until the term is up.
(4) The Council meetings are always common meetings with the Executive Committee and they are chaired by the President and in her/his absence by another member of the Executive Committee.
(5) A meeting of the Council takes place during the biennial Society’ meeting Article 7. Amendments to the Statutes.
A majority of two-thirds of the votes cast is required to pass a resolution involving an amendment to the Statutes. Voting on a resolution involving an amendment is carried out by means of a ballot sent to all members of the Society.
Article 8. Dissolution of the Society.
(1) The Society shall be dissolved if the number of members falls below seven.
(2) A majority of two-thirds of the votes cast is required to pass a resolution for the dissolution of the Society. Voting on a resolution involving dissolution is carried out by means of a ballot sent to all members of the Society.
(3) In the event of dissolution, the assets of the Society shall by decision of the General Assembly be handed over to one or more societies with aims similar to those of the Society.
