The Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics by-laws

The name of this US §501(c)(3) non-profit organization, incorporated in Washington, DC, is the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (hereinafter referred to as SASE, or the “Organization”).

 

ARTICLE I – PURPOSES AND GUIDING PHILOSOPHY

As set forth in the Organization’s Articles of Incorporation, SASE is organized, and shall be operated, exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes as may qualify it for tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as amended). SASE is a multidisciplinary organization, dedicated to developing social science theory, research, education, and practice in the intersections of many disciplines, including sociology, psychology, philosophy, political science, history, anthropology, management, law, and economics. 

 

ARTICLE II – OFFICES

The Organization may maintain offices within or without the District of Columbia as the Executive Council (the “Council”) chooses to designate.

 

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership Categories

SASE shall have the following membership categories: Individual and Institutional. The membership of the Organization shall consist of the individuals listed as initial directors in the Articles of Incorporation and such other parties that have paid the annual dues as required by these Bylaws.

  1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in the Organization’s purpose. Subcategories of Individual membership may be designated by the Council. Individual members are also referred to as Voting Members in this document.
  2. Institutional membership is open to institutions interested in the Organization’s purpose.  Institutional members shall not have the right to vote.

Section 2. Rights and Responsibilities

  1. Individual Members shall have the right to vote for the election of officers and at-large members of the Council and on matters specifically provided for in these Bylaws or on matters submitted by the Council to a vote of the Individual Members and hold elected or appointed office as specifically provided in these Bylaws. All individuals serving in leadership positions including, but not limited to, Officers, Directors, or members of any committee or editorial board shall be required to be members in good standing. 
  2. In order to maintain membership status and be considered a member in good standing, members shall pay annual dues by the member’s renewal date. Dues for each membership category shall be established by the Council. 
  3. Any additional privileges and responsibilities of each membership category, in addition to those set forth in these Bylaws, shall be established by the Council. 
  4. All members of the Organization shall comply with the provisions of the SASE Code of Conduct. 
  5. Membership in the Organization may be suspended or terminated, and the privileges of membership may be suspended wholly or in part, for failure to pay dues or for failure to adhere to the Code of Conduct in accordance with policies and procedures to be adopted by the Council. The decision of the Council as to the suspension or termination of a member due to a Code of Conduct violation shall be final and may not be challenged in any other forum.  No termination of membership due to a Code of Conduct violation shall be made by the Council unless written notice of such proposed action and the grounds therefore shall have been given to such member at least thirty (30) days prior to the taking of such action and such member shall have been afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard before the Council.
  6. Resignation, suspension, or expulsion from membership shall not relieve the former member from liability for any unpaid dues or other duly assessed fees or charges.   

Section 3. Meetings of Members

  1. Place of Meetings. Meetings of the Individual Members shall be held at such place within or outside of the District of Columbia as may be designated from time to time by the Council. 
  2. Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of Individual Members shall be held on a date to be fixed by the Council at the time, place and/or manner to be fixed by the Council and stated in the notice of the meeting.
  3. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Individual Members may be called at any time by the Council, the President or upon the written request of not less than ten percent (10%, calculated based on the number of individual members on the first day of the most recent annual SASE conference) of the Individual Members, for any purpose or purposes prescribed in the notice of the meeting and shall be held at such place or manner, on such date and at such time as the Council may fix. Business transacted at any special meeting of the Individual Members shall be confined to the purpose or purposes stated in the notice of meeting.
  4. Notice of Meetings. Unless waived, notice of the date, time, place or manner, and in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the special meeting is called, shall be given to each Individual Member, not less than five (5) business days and no more than one year before such meeting. 
  5. Quorum. At all meetings of the members, twenty-five percent (25%) of the Voting Members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Quorum shall be calculated based on the number of Individual Members on the first day of the most recent annual SASE conference. If a quorum is present, a majority of the Individual Members voting shall determine any matter, unless a different vote is required by statute, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by these Bylaws. 
  6. Presiding Officer. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Individual Members. In the absence of the President, the Past-President or another officer designated by the Council shall serve as the presiding officer. The Presiding Officer will use procedures that encourage full, open, and honest debate.
  7. Telephone and Similar Meetings. Individual Members may participate in and hold a meeting by means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other. Annual or special meetings of the Individual Members do not need to be held at a geographic location if the meeting is held by means of the Internet or other electronic communication technology in a fashion pursuant to which the Individual Members have the opportunity to read or hear the proceedings substantially concurrently with their occurrence, vote on matters submitted to Individual Members, pose questions, and make comments. 
  8. Action by Ballot. Individual Members may take action without a meeting by casting a vote by ballot. A ballot shall (1) be in the form of a record, such as by paper, or e-mail or other on-line format; (2) set forth each proposed action; (3) provide an opportunity to vote for, or withhold a vote for, each candidate for election; and (4) provide an opportunity to vote for or against each other proposed action. Approval by ballot, other than for elections, shall be valid only when the number of votes cast by ballot equals or exceeds the quorum required to be present at a meeting authorizing the action, and the number of approvals equals or exceeds the number of votes that would be required to approve the matter at a meeting at which the total number of votes cast was the same as the number of votes cast by ballot. All solicitations for votes by ballot shall: (i) indicate the number of responses needed to meet the quorum requirements; (ii) state the percentage of approvals necessary to approve each matter other than elections; and (iii) specify the time by which a ballot must be received by the Organization in order to be counted.
  9. Elections. The Council shall have the authority to determine the procedures to be followed in conducting elections and other ballot measures under these Bylaws, which shall be in accordance with applicable law.

 

ARTICLE IV – GOVERNANCE

SASE shall be governed by its Executive Council. The Council may by general resolution delegate to Officers of the Organization and to committees such powers as provided for in these Bylaws.  In addition, there shall be annually renewed committees, whose members are totally or partially renewed every year. The President and the Executive Council may also name such ad-hoc committees as are necessary to carry out the business of the Organization. 

Section 1. Executive Council 

  1. Members

The Council shall consist of the following members: President, Past-President, President-Elect, Treasurer, the SER chief editor(s) (non-voting), the Executive Director (non-voting), the Chair of the Network Organizer Forum (non-voting), and fifteen (15) voting, at-large members. 

  1. Election and Terms 
  1. The President shall, after a one-year term, succeed to the office of Past-President.
  2. The Past-President shall serve a term of one year.
  3. The President-Elect shall, after a one-year term, succeed to the office of President. 
  4. The President-Elect shall be elected by a plurality vote of the Individual Members.
  5. The Treasurer shall be elected by a plurality vote of the Individual Members. The Treasurer shall serve a term of two years and is eligible for reelection once.
  6. The Executive Director is appointed by the Council. 
  7. The at-large members of the Council shall be elected by a plurality vote of the Individual Members and shall serve a term of three years. Terms of the at-large members shall be staggered, such that terms of eight members shall expire each year. At-large members are eligible for reelection at the end of their first three-year term, and no individual shall be eligible for reelection as a member-at-large of the Council after having served two such terms. 
  8. The Council shall have the authority to determine the procedures to be followed in conducting elections and other membership voting matters, if applicable.
  9. The commencement dates for Council positions shall be set forth in SASE policy. 
  1. Duties

The Council shall exercise all corporate powers and fiduciary responsibility over the affairs of SASE and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and policymaking of the Organization, except as otherwise provided by statute, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws. 

  1. Meetings
  1. The agenda for meetings of the Council shall be determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Director. Council Members may request adding items to the Council agenda by submitting a proposal in writing to the Executive Director. 
  2. The President shall preside at meetings of the Council. The Past-President shall preside in the absence of the President. 
  3. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members of the Council then in office. If a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Council present shall determine any matter, unless a different vote is required by statute, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by these Bylaws.
  4. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the President or a majority of the members of the Council. The notice period is minimum 2 days.
  5. The Council may hold meetings by means of conference telephone or any means of communication by which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other.  Any action required by law or any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Council, may be taken without a meeting if each Council Member signs a consent in the form of a record describing the action to be taken and delivers it to the Organization. Unanimous consent has the effect of action taken at a meeting of the Council and may be described as such in any document. Consents may be transmitted electronically. 
  6. The Presiding Officer will use procedures that encourage full, open, and honest debate.
  1. Removal and Vacancies
  1. Members of the Council can be removed for cause by action of the Council. 
  2. A vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled for the balance of the term in which the vacancy occurred by the President-Elect. This person shall then continue in the office of President until the conclusion of the anticipated Presidential term.
  3. A vacancy in the office of President-elect shall be filled for the balance of the term in which the vacancy occurred by an individual appointed by the Council. This person shall then be allowed to run for the office of President-Elect in the next round of elections, if they so choose.
  4. A vacancy in the office of Past-President may be filled for the balance of the term in which the vacancy occurred by appointment of the Council from the pool of past presidents of the Organization.
  5. A vacancy in the office of Treasurer shall be filled until the time at which a new Treasurer can be elected through standard election procedures by the Council from among the current Council members-at-large. 
  6. A vacancy among the Council members-at-large may be filled for a portion or the full balance of the term in which the vacancy occurred by appointment of the Council. 

Section 2. Executive Committee

  • Members

The Executive Committee shall consist of the following members: President, President-Elect, Past-President, Treasurer, and the Executive Director (non-voting).

  • Duties 

The Executive Committee has the authority to act on behalf of the Council between meetings of the Council, subject to the D.C. Nonprofit Corporation Act of 2010. 

Section 3. Officers

  1. Officers

The Officers of the Organization shall be the President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect, and Executive Director. 

  1. Duties
  • President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Organization and shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and other such duties as may be prescribed by the Council. 
  • Past-President. The Past-President shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President or by the Council.
  • President-Elect. The President-Elect shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President or by the Council. 
  • Treasurer. The Treasurer shall perform all duties incident to the office of Treasurer and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Council. 
  • Executive Director. The Executive Director take on Secretarial duties, and shall have authority for the day-to-day administrative and programmatic management of the Organization, including the hiring and termination of staff and paid contractors. Non-budgeted expenditures over $2,000US require approval by the President and the Treasurer and over $5,000US require approval of the Executive Committee.

 

ARTICLE V – SOCIO-ECONOMIC REVIEW

  1. The chief editor(s) of the Socio-Economic Review (SER) will report to the Council annually, including a report on the SER budget.
  2. SER shall be governed in accordance with the SER Governance rules adopted by the Council. Any changes to these rules must be approved by the Council.

 

ARTICLE VI – STANDING COMMITTEES, FORUM, AND NETWORKS

 

Section 1. Annual Conference Program Committee. 

  • Members. The Annual Conference Program Committee is appointed and chaired by the President. The Program Committee shall include one representative from the Annual Conference Local Organizing Committee. The Executive Director is a non-voting member. Two to six additional members are appointed by the President. 
  • Duties. The Program Committee shall be responsible for organizing the program of one Annual Conference, and other matters as requested from time to time by the Council.

 

Section 2. Award Committees

  • Members. Award Committees are appointed annually by the President, and consist of three to four members, if possible current members of the Executive Council.
  • Duties. These committees are responsible for formulating calls for nominations (if necessary), deliberating on eligible candidates, making a decision for the awards, reporting to the Executive Council, and other matters as requested from time to time by the Council.

Section 3. Early Career Workshop Committee

  • Members. The President shall appoint the chair of the Early Workshop Committee. Other members are appointed by the chair in consultation with the President.
  • Duties. This Committee is responsible for the organization of the Early Career Workshop. 

Section 4. Presidential Search Committee

  • Members. The Past-President and President-Elect serve on this committee, with one other member appointed by the President. 
  • Duties. This Committee is responsible for finding one to two candidates to run for the position of President-Elect. 

Section 5. Membership and Diversity Committee 

  • Members. The President shall appoint the chair and members of this Committee.
  • Duties. This Committee reports and advises on membership trends and diversity concerns. 

Section 6. Nominations Committee

  • Members. The President appoints annually the members and chair of this Committee.  
  • Duties. The Nominations committee announces an open call for nominations whereby Voting Members can nominate other members or themselves. The Nominations committee will select from these names to compose the final ballot. The Committee will strive to maximize the diversity of the ballot (and subsequently, of the Executive Council) by considering various factors (such as, but not limited to, gender, academic discipline, geographic area of the candidates’ appointment, or background). The Nominations Committee may also suggest members for the other committees the President appoints.  

Section 7. Network Oversight Committee

  • Members. The President shall appoint annually the members of this Committee including its chair. Network Organizers cannot be members of this Committee.
  • Duties. This Committee reports to and advises the Executive Council on network trends, the establishment of new networks, and the disestablishment of existing networks. 

Section 8. Research Networks

SASE is organized into Research Networks, which are established by the Executive Council on the proposal of the Network Oversight Committee. Each Network is chaired by Network Organizers. Research Networks shall integrate and promote research, communication, and Annual Meeting organization and participation among like-minded members of SASE. 

Section 9. Network Organizer Forum 

  • Members. The members of the Forum are all Research Network Organizers. Each Research Network shall designate one Organizer as its representative to the Forum. The Forum elects its chair by majority vote of all its members. The chair serves for three years and may be re-elected once. 
  • Duties. The chair sits on the Executive Council as a non-voting member. The Chair shall keep the Forum apprised of decisions made in the Council that affect Research Networks, and shall call meetings to discuss matters to bring to the Council.   

Section 10. Meetings

  • A quorum for each committee, Network, and the Forum shall consist of a majority of the standing members.
  • Standing committees, Networks, and the Forum may hold meetings using telephone or electronic means that allow participants to actively deliberate with each other. Committees, Networks, and the Forum may also take action without a meeting by unanimous written consent which may be transmitted electronically.

Section 11. Other Committees 

The Council may establish such other committees as may be necessary for the conduct of the Organization’s affairs. 

Section 12. General Rules on Committees

  1. Committee members can be removed by action of the Council. 
  2. The President shall have the discretion to fill any vacancies that may occur on committees for the remainder of unexpired terms except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws or by statute.
  3. All appointments to committees by the President shall be affirmed by the Council.
  4. All committees are under the jurisdiction of the Council. 

 

ARTICLE VII – HONORARY FELLOWS

The President, Past-President, and President-Elect serve as electors of honorary fellows. Honorary fellows may be invited to meetings of the Executive Council, and benefit from lifetime membership to SASE. 

 

ARTICLE VIII – MISCELLANEOUS

Section 1. Indemnification 

To the fullest extent permitted by law, any current or former Council Member or officer of the Organization, or other such persons so designated in the discretion of the Council, shall be indemnified (including advances against expenses) by the Organization against all judgments, fines, settlements, and other reasonable costs, expenses, and counsel fees paid or incurred in connection with any actual and threatened action, suit, or proceeding to which any such person may be made a party by reason of his/her being or having been such a Council member or officer or other such designated person. The Organization may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Council, grant rights to indemnification and to the advancement of related expenses, to any employee or agent of the Organization to the extent permitted by law. No indemnification or advance against expenses shall be approved by the Council or paid by the Organization until after receipt from legal counsel of an opinion concerning the legality of the proposed indemnification or advance. 

 

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Proposed Amendments

Proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be submitted for a vote of the Voting Members upon a vote of the council.

Section 2. Adoption 

These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the Voting Members at a meeting at which a quorum is present or by ballot in accordance with Article IV, Section 4, paragraph 8.

 

ARTICLE X – EFFECT OF NEW BYLAWS

These new by-laws replace and supersede the former Bylaws of the Organization. They shall take effect immediately upon certification of ratification by the Executive Director.

 

 

Adopted by the Executive Council, 18 July 2023

Ratified by SASE Membership, 16 September 2024

Ratification certified by Executive Director, 17 September 2024