ERSA - European Regional Science Association

BY-LAWS

The below specified by-laws follow from Article VI of the Constitution of the European Regional Science Association which were accepted at the ERSA Council meeting in Zurich August 1996. The by-laws were accepted at the ERSA Council meeting in Rome August 1997 and are effective 1 September 1997.

By-law 1: ERSA Council working rules

• 1.a Council members are expected to attend all meetings of the Council. In exceptional circumstances an alternate may represent a Council member, although this practice is not encouraged. If an alternate is selected, prior written notification must be provided to the Secretary and the President. Alternatively, a regular, voting member of the Council, unable to attend the meeting may give a written proxy to another member of the Council. Also in this case prior written notification must be provided to the Secretary and the President.
• 1.b The Secretary in cooperation with the President has to inform the members of the Council at least one month in advance about the date and time and the provisonal agenda of a meeting.
• 1.c A secret written voting procedure shall be held by voting about persons if voting is asked by at least one Council-member (otherwise it is unanymously accepted).
• 1.d The officers President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer act as the Daily Board of the ERSA and are automatically members of the EOC (see by-law 5.a). As EOC-members they have to be invited to the council meetings. They have the right to speak and to propose, but not the right to vote. (see Article III)).
• 1.e The officers President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and EOC members can be elected as RSAI-councillor and/or additional (Article III) member of the Council (see by-law 4).
• 1.f The officers President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and EOC members can represent a section in the Council.

Election of officers, additional ERSAC-members and RSAI-councillors

By-law 2: General rules

• 2.a All officers, additional ERSAC-members and RSAI-councillors have to be regular members of ERSA (see Article I).
• 2.b Periods of office start at January 1st after the date of election and end at December 31 of the year in which the term ends.
• 2.c During each annual meeting the Secretary will inform the Council-members about ending of terms of officers and other persons elected by the Council for which decisions have to be taken at the next annual meeting.
• 2.d The Daily Board of ERSA has the duty to encourage that suitable candidates are proposed to the Council.
• 2.e A list of candidates has to be sent to the Council-members together with the agenda at least one month before the meeting.

By-law 3: Election of the President

• 3.a Two years before the end of the term of the President the ERSA Council will establish an Election Committee of three members. Committee members can be proposed by any member of ERSA.
• 3.b The task of the Election Committee is to guide the procedure for election and to present to the Council one or more candidates for President. Possible candidates for President can be proposed to the Committee by any member of ERSA.
• 3.c Candidates for President of which at least five sections have sent a written statement of support to the Election Committee have to be put on the list of candidates for President.
• 3.d Of all candidates a curriculum vitae and a written statement with the agreement of being a candidate for President should be made available by the Election Committee to the Council.
• 3.e The list of proposed candidates should be sent to all sections and Council-members at least three months before the meeting during the annual European Congress where the decision of the next President will be made.
• 3.f The new President will be elected at the Council-meeting at the annual congress before the term of the existing President ends.

By-law 4: Election of RSAI-councillors and additional ERSAC members

The ERSA has the right to appoint three of its members to represent ERSA in the RSAI-Council. According to the Constitution Article III the Council can elect up to three additional members besides the section representatives.

• 4.a The President of ERSA is automatically elected as one of the three RSAI councillors from Europe.
• 4.b The other two RSAI-councillors are elected by the ERSA-Council.
• 4.c The three RSAI-councillors representing ERSA in the RSAI-council are automatically the additional members of the ERSA Council.

By-law 5: Election of EOC-members

• 5.a The officers President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are automatically members of the EOC (see by-law 1.d).
• 5.b The European Editor of the Papers in Regional Science is automatically proposed to the Council as member of the EOC. If the Editor-in-Chief is from Europe this person is also automatically proposed to the Council as member of the EOC.
• 5.c The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the forthcoming annual congress proposes from its members an EOC-member for three years. The organisers of the forthcoming Summer Institute propose an EOC-member for three years. The period of office starts at January, 1 in the year before the LOC will organize the annual congress or the Summer Institute will take place.

By-law 6: EOC working rules

• 6.a The EOC shall at least meet twice a year, usually in February and during the annual Congress.
• 6.b The Secretary in cooperation with the President has to inform the members of the EOC at least one month in advance about the date and time and the provisonal agenda of a meeting.
• 6.c One of the EOC-members is appointed as the Newsletter Editor and has the specific task of dissemination of information about regional science activities in printed form and/or via electronic media.