A. Objectives
1. The purpose of The Cliometric Society shall be to advance and improve the study of economic history, applying theory and econometrics to historical questions, with an emphasis on methodology and practice. Second, the Society shall endeavor to promote the development of future economic historians by providing young scholars opportunities to present their research. In order to accomplish these objectives, The Cliometric Society will help organize conferences and meetings, publish a Newsletter, and cooperate with related organizations in the United States and around the world. Founded in 1983, The Cliometric Society traces its origins to meetings started in 1960 at Purdue University. The open and spirited inquiry and discussion characterizing those early meetings is a prized tradition of the Society, and encouraged in all Cliometric Society functions.
2. The Cliometric Society is incorporated.
B. Membership
1. Membership is open to all who support the objectives of the Society.
2. There shall be three levels of dues: student, regular, and sustaining. The dues will be set annually by the Trustees. Under special circumstances, dues may be waived.
C. Membership in Other Organizations
1. The Cliometric Society shall promote and maintain associate or joint memberships in other associations sharing common interests and goals. The Trustees will appoint liaisons or delegates to these organizations when necessary.
D. Organization and Officers
Executive Director:
1. Executive activities of the Society shall be handled by the Executive Director, who acts on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
2. The Executive Director shall be appointed by a majority vote of the elected Trustees for a four-year term. The Executive Director may be removed at any time on a vote of three-fourths of the elected Trustees.
3. The Executive Director shall act at the direction of the Board of Trustees. He/she will manage the finances of the Society and preside over any committees designated to publish the Newsletter, organize conferences, maintain liaisons with other organizations and apply for support for the annual Cliometric Society Conference. The Executive Director will give an annual report of the Society's activities and present a budget for the year at the Trustees' annual meeting. The Executive Director's annual report, as approved by the Board of Trustees, will also be published in the Society's Newsletter.
Board of Trustees:
1. The Board of Trustees shall consist of eight elected Trustees and six ex-officio members.
2. Ex-officio members of the Board of Trustees shall be the Executive Director of the Society, the immediate past Executive Director, the Editor of the Society's Newsletter, the Society's representatives to the Economic History Association and the European History of Economics Society, and the Editor of Explorations in Economic History. With the exception of the Editor of Explorations in Economic History all ex-officio appointments shall be for four years.
3. Trustees shall be members of The Cliometric Society.
4. All matters of policy including, but not limited to, the structure and funding of the annual conference, interactions with other scholarly organizations, and all financial matters shall be decided by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will delegate routine responsibility to the Executive Director, who is accountable to the Board.
5. The elected Trustees shall be the voting Trustees.
6. At each annual meeting the elected Trustees shall select a Chair, who shall serve a one-year term commencing upon the meeting's adjournment.
7. Duties of the Chair shall include
a. Convening the annual meeting
b. Establishing the annual meeting agenda
c. Presiding over the annual meeting
d. Supervising the appointment of the Executive Director
Election Process:
1. Election of Trustees shall be held at the end of each calendar year. Ballots will be mailed to each member. Ballots will provide space for write-in candidates, and will include a call for nominations for the next year's ballot.
2. Elected Trustees shall serve four-year terms with two Trustees elected each year.
3. If an elected Trustee is unable to serve the full four-year term, a replacement shall be appointed by the Trustees to serve the unexpired portion of the term.
4. Trustees shall not be eligible for re-election to consecutive four-year terms. A Trustee appointed to complete the unexpired portion of a term of a year or less will be eligible for election to a full term.
5. At least one nominee for each vacant Trustee position shall be selected at the annual Trustees meeting. Nominees will be determined by suggestions solicited from the membership.
6. Any member of The Cliometric Society may have his/her name added to the ballot by delivering a petition with the signatures of 10 current members to the Executive Director's office by an announced deadline.
7. In the event of tie votes, the outcome will be decided by a coin toss.
E. Meetings of the Board of Trustees
1. There shall be an annual meeting of the Board of Trustees, called by the Chair of the Board of Trustees. The agenda will include, but is not limited to, the adoption of a budget, the setting of dues, review of the annual report and the nomination of candidates for vacant positions on the Board of Trustees. Additional meetings of the Board of Trustees may be called at the request of any two Trustees.
2. A quorum shall consist of six Trustees, with the proviso that action taken at any meeting shall be confirmed by a majority of the Board of Trustees.
F. Members' Petition
1. Members of The Cliometric Society may request the Board of Trustees to address any item of Society business by delivering the request to the Executive Director's office. The Chair of the Board of Trustees will add all requests received to the agenda of the next Board of Trustees' meeting.
G. Audit Committee
1. Two members of The Cliometric Society shall be delegated by the Board of Trustees as an Audit Committee.
2. Members of the Audit Committee shall meet annually with the Executive Director to review the finances of the Society and shall prepare and distribute a report based on that review to the Board of Trustees and to the membership.
H. Newsletter
1. The Society shall publish a Newsletter.
2. The Newsletter shall be published at the Society's office and will be sent to all current members. Institutions may subscribe for one and one-half times the regular membership rate.
3. The Newsletter shall publish the Annual Report of The Cliometric Society, approved by the Board of Trustees.
4. The Editor of the Newsletter shall be appointed for a four-year term by the Board of Trustees. The Editor will have the right to add other editors with the approval of the Board. The Editor will determine editorial policy in consultation with the Board of Trustees. The Editor can be replaced at any time on a vote of two-thirds of the Trustees.
I. Amendments
1. Amendments to these By-Laws may be made by a two-thirds vote of the Trustees at any of their scheduled meetings.
These By-Laws become effective January 1, 1993.
Amended June 30, 1998.
Subsequent amendments December 3, 2002.