Research Committees

The Statutes were adopted in 1994 (prepared by Jorge Niosi). They were subsequently amended in 2003 (proposed by Christopher Chase-Dunn and Thomas E. Reifer) and in 2012 (proposed by Bill Carroll and Heidi Gottfried and ratified by the RC02 membership in August 2012).

Title of Statutes

Statutes of Research Committee 02 on Economy and Society

Article I.: Nature of Research Committee 02 (RC02)

1. RC02 has been established in 1978 in accordance with Article XI of the ISA Statutes;
2. The RC02 raises its own funds among academics conducting research on the topics of the interface between Economics and Sociology;
3. The RC02 administers its own funds in accordance with Article XI of the ISA Statutes.

Article II.: Objectives of RC02

1. To promote the development of the theory and practice of the sociology of economic life;
2. To provide research and promote meetings in the field of the sociology of economic activity at all local, national, regional, and international levels;
3. To provide information on significant developments in this field, particularly through scholarly publications;
4. To unite the professional qualities, social consciousness and experience of its members for work on the problems of the sociology of economic activities throughout the world.

Article III.: Activities in which RC02 engages in order to achieve its objectives

1. Information exchange between the members through the diffusion of Newsletters and the RC02 web site.
2. International scientific communication particularly through the organization of international conferences and seminars;
3. Participation in ISA World Congress;
4. Promotion of publication activities resulting from conferences and congresses;
5. Engagement in organizational activities.

Article IV.: Membership in RC02

1. Members shall either be regular members or affiliated members;
   1. Regular members shall be individuals or institutions in good standing within the ISA;
   2. Affiliated members shall be individuals or institutions interested in the activities of RC02, who are not members of the ISA.
2. All regular and affiliated members of RC02 shall be entitled to vote as individual members in the discussions about organizational matters at the General Meetings according to the principle of "one member, one vote;" that means that one institution also has one vote.
3. All regular and affiliated members of RC02 shall be entitled:
   1. To participate in the scientific activities of the Research Committee;
   2. To receive the Newsletter issued by RC02 free of charge.
4. All regular and affiliated members of RC02 shall be obliged:
   1. To uphold the present Statutes of RC02 and to adhere to the stipulations of the present Statutes;
   2. To conscientiously fulfill the tasks entrusted to them by the General Meeting or other bodies of RC02;
   3. To pay their membership fee for the respective period (i.e. 4 years); This fee shall be fixed by the Board of the Research Committee at each General Meeting for both individual members and organisations. The membership fees shall be specified in the By-Laws to the present Statutes.

By Laws on Membership Fees

The membership fees are fixed as follows:
In line with ISA practice, membership fees are collected for a period of four years, i.e. $US 50 for members from "category A" countries, and $US 10 for members from all other countries and student/unemployed members.
For a list of "category A" countries see the currently valid ISA membership form.

Article V.: Governing Bodies of RC02

1. A Board composed of the President, immediate past President, the Executive Secretary, the Treasurer, two Vice Presidents and at least six and as many as eight members representing different geographical areas;
2. Ad hoc committees for specific functions (like international conferences and seminars).
3. Each member of the Board must at all times be:
   1. a member in good standing of the ISA in accordance with the ISA Statutes; and
   2. a member in good standing of RC02.

Article VI: Electoral Procedures of RC02

1. The term of office: the Board is elected for a 4-year period, between the World Congress;
2. Elections are conducted by e-mail and/or regular mail to paid-up members;
3. In the interim period between the elections, in the event of impossibility to fulfill their duties, the Board can replace governing officers.
4. Nominations shall be conducted by e-mail and/or regular mail. To this end, the Secretary shall prepare a form to be sent to all regular and affiliated members at least twenty weeks prior to the ISA World Congress, together with a list of all regular members of RC02
5. All regular and affiliated members of RC02 shall be entitled to nominate candidates for the Board. Nominated candidates shall be regular members of RC02. They shall confirm their willingness to accept the respective position on the Board in case they are elected and to remain a regular member in good standing for the duration of their mandate, and shall return the nomination form to the Secretary, together with a brief curriculum vitae.
6. The Secretary shall prepare a ballot listing all nominated candidates along with the respective positions on the Board. In case of several nominations for the same position, the nominated candidates shall be listed in alphabetical order. The ballot shall be sent to all regular and affiliated members of RC02 at least ten weeks before the ISA World Congress.
7. Regular and affiliated members shall send their ballot by mail or email to the designated electoral officer(s). Ballots received later than one week before the beginning of the World Congress shall not be counted.
8. Results will be announced at the Business Meeting at the ISA World Conference.

Article VII: Responsibilities and duties of the officers of the governing bodies

1. The President represents the RC within the ISA, and is responsible for the implementation of the RC mandates;
2. The Executive Secretary is responsible for keeping-up the members list, correspondence and the publication of the Newsletter.  The Newsletter or equivalent will be issued to the membership at least twice annually.
3. The Treasurer is responsible for the collection of funds and payment of bills. A statement of financial affairs will be given by the Treasurer every four years to the Board of RC02 and to the Business Meeting Assembly. The Treasurer must be discharged of their financial responsibilities by the Business Meeting Assembly.
4. The Vice Presidents are responsible for recruitment of new members and for maintaining the RC02 website.
5. In addition to these duties, the Board shall
   1. identify the themes and topics for at least one mid-term conference and take responsibility for the organization of those sessions;
   2. identify (i) the Research Committee’s delegate to the ISA Research Council and other organizations and (ii) the alternate delegate to the Research Council.

Article VIII: Business Meeting

1. A Business Meeting Assembly is held at least every four years, preferably at the ISA World Congress. The meeting is chaired by the President or by one Vice-President of RC02. Votes can only be cast by regular and affiliated RC02 members in good standing who are present at the Meeting. The duties of the Assembly are:
   1. to evaluate and approve the four-year-report;
   2. to discharge the outgoing Board of its responsibilities, including the financial statement;
   3. to discuss and carry motions on any other point that may arise.
2. Decisions in a Business Meeting Assembly are taken by simple majority.

Article IX: Final Regulations

1. An earlier version of these statutes was adopted at the XIIIth World Congress of Sociology and through a complementary mail consultation with the members who were not present at the Congress; They have been revised in 2003.
2. The Statutes may be amended at any time by a majority of the members through the request of 25 members to the Board and by a special vote through the mail and email.