1 Aims of the Society

(1) The European Society for Population Economics is an association of scientists supporting the field of population economics in research and teaching.

(2) The Society has as its aim the furtherance of the theoretical as well as empirical research on population economics, the dissemination of the results of the research and the support of contacts between scientists and scientific institutions engaged in the field of population economics. Particularly annual conferences, seminars, workshops and other scientific events as well as the publication of a scientific journal serve this purpose.

(3) The European Society for Population Economics is a non-profit making organization. It pursues no economic purposes furthering self-interest. Economic means are exclusively used for the fulfilment of the aims mentioned above.

2 Legal Form and Seat of the Society

(1) The name of the Society is "European Society for Population Economics". The Society shall be entered into the Public Register of Societies and Associations. After listing the Society in the register, the abbreviation e.V. (registered association) will be added to the name.

(2) The European Society for Population Economics is a private assoziation of individual and institutional members.

(3) The seat of the Society is Essen.

(4) The financial year is the calendar year.

3 Membership

(1) Members of the Society are either individual or institutional members. Application for membership must be sent in written form. Institutions have an advisory function and are not entitled to vote. They may support the Society financially as well as organizationally.

(2) Participants of the inaugural meeting who are listed in the minutes of the inaugural meeting are the founding members of the Society. The Executive Committee decides upon the admission or rejection of new members without being obliged to give any reasons for unsuccessful applications. Applicants can appeal against rejection of membership to the General Assembly which has the power to make the final decision. Members must pay a membership fee. Fees and maturities are decided upon by the General Assembly. The admission of a new member takes effect after the Executive Committee’s approval and from the moment the Society receives payment of the membership fees. The liability from membership is limited to the amount of the dues.

(3) The membership terminates upon written notice from the member to an authorized member of the Executive Committee, by decision of the General Assembly or by death. Notice of resignation must be given in writing at least three months before the end of the financial year. A member can only be expelled from the Society for serious reasons; particularly for conduct which is detrimental to the Society’s objectives, a violation of statuary duties, or if membership dues have remained unpaid for at least two years. The Executive Committee decides upon the expulsion. The member is entitled to appeal to the General Assembly. Written appeals must be sent to the Executive Committee within one month. The General Assembly has the power to make the final decision. The member has the right to appeal to a court of law against the decision. An appeal to a court has suspensive effect until the court’s decision takes legal effect.

4 General Assembly

(1) The General Assembly is the highest organ of the Society. Each member has one vote. A replacement of absent members is not permitted. 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 byelaws, the election or deselection of the Executive Committee or the Council, the discharge of the Executive Committee, the election of auditors, the rejection or approval of applications and the termination of memberships, the fixing and maturity of membership dues, the approval of the annual report and the annual closing of account, the dissolving or the alteration of the legal form of the Society are incumbent upon the General assembly and cannot be withdrawn. The election of members of the Executive Committee and the Council are carried out by postal ballot. Further details are laid down in the byelaws.

(2) The ordinary General Assembly normally meets once a year. It is convened by the Executive Committee in writing at least four weeks before the date set. The convocation specifies date, hour, venue and the agenda.

(3) The Executive Committee shall convene an extraordinary General Assembly, if at least one quarter of the membership makes a respective application and presents an agenda.

(4) The General Assembly is chaired by the President of the Society. If he is unable to come, the General Assembly is presided over by another member of the Executive Committee.

(5) The General Assembly has a quorum, if at least one quarter of the members of the Society is present. If the quorum is not reached, a second General Assembly shall be convened in writing at least four weeks before the date set. This Assembly has a quorum regardless of the number of members present. During the time between two General Assemblies urgent resolutions may be passed by postal ballot.

(6) The General Assembly passes resolutions by a simple majority of votes cast, except in the cases explicitly mentioned in the statutes.

(7) Resolutions of the General Assembly are passed by a raise of hands, except in the cases explicitly mentioned in the statutes. At the request of at least one quarter of the members present a secret ballot may be decided with regard to single items on the agenda.

(8) Resolutions passed by the General Assembly are recorded in a register. The Secretary in charge of this task is appointed by the Executive Committee. The register is signed by the President of the General Assembly and by the Secretary.

(9) The General Assembly shall appoint two Auditors for each financial year who are not themselves members of the Executive committee or of the Council to report on the audit of the cashbooks.

5 Executive Committee

(1) In accordance with Section 26 of the BGB (German Civil Code), the Executive Committee consists of the President, the President Elect, the Secretary and the Treasurer.

(2) The Executive Committee is responsible for the organization and for the daily administration of the Society. Two members of the Executive Committee shall jointly represent the Society in external affairs.

(3) The Executive Committee has within the bounds of available means the power to do all that is necessary and useful for the proper administration of the Society. The Executive Committee shall submit a statement for revenues and expenditures to the General Assembly.

(4) Members of the Executive Committee are elected by the members of the General Assembly by postal ballot. If the number of candidates exceeds the number of vacancies, the person receiving the most voting rights shall be declared elected. In the case of an equal number of votes the voting is to be repeated.

(5) The President as well as the President-Elect are elected for the term of one year; the Secretary as well as the Treasurer are elected for the term of three years. A direct reelection for one further term is only permitted in the case of the Secretary and the Treasurer. A Nomination Committee of three Council members selects the candidates for the election of the President-Elect, the Secretary and the Treasurer.

(6) After completion of his term of office the President becomes member of the Council for one further year, unless he takes on other responsibilities in the Executive Committee.

(7) The Executive Committee draws up its own byelaws.

6 Council

(2) Besides the past President and the President-Elect the Council shall consist of at least nine and of at most eighteen members.

(3) The members of the Council are elected for three years and can have two consecutive terms only.

(4) The Council meetings are always common meeting with the Executive Committee and they are chaired by the President or another member of the Executive Committee.

(5) The Council or single members of the Council may be asked to attend meetings of the Executive Committee with advisory vote. A common meeting of the Executive Committee and the Council shall take place during the annual meeting.

(6) Every year the membership of at least one third of the Elected Members of the Council shall be renewed. If not enough Elected Members are at the end of the full term, a lottery shall indicate the Elected Members to be replaced.

(7) Candidates for the Council are nominated by a Nomination Committee, which consists of the members of the Executive Committee and three Council members named by the President.

7 Amendments to the Statutes

Amendments to these statutes require a two-thirds majority of the valid votes. Proposals to change the statutes may emanate from the Executive Committee or from one third of the membership. General Assemblies with the item "Amendments to the Statutes" on the agenda shall be convened at least three months in advance, enclosing the proposal mentioned above. In case the quorum of the Assembly is not reached, a second General Assembly is empowered to pass a resolution with a two-thirds majority of the valid votes of members present.

8 Dissolution and Amendment to the Legal Form of the Society

(1) The dissolution of the Society is determined by the General Assembly at the request of the Executive Committee. The same goes for an amendment of the legal form of the Society, particularly for the entry in a German register of clubs, organizations and societies or for the entry in a respective register of another European country.

(2) A decision on the dissolution or the amendment of the legal form of the Society requires a majority of two thirds of the valid votes.

(3) Upon dissolution of the Society or termination of its non-profit purpose, assets of the Society shall be transferred to UNICEF which is only permitted to use the assets for non-profit purpose.

9 Inaugural Meeting

(1) The inaugural meeting passing these statutes possesses all the rights and duties of the General Assembly until the first General Assembly according to the statutes takes place; the first Executive Committee elected by the inaugural meeting possesses all the rights and duties of an Executive Committee until the first election of an Executive Committee according to the statutes takes place.

(2) These statutes were established by the inaugural meeting on September 30, 1986 at the University of Hagen, West-Germany. The founding members are E. Boserup, A. Cigno, P. Dasgupta, J. Ermisch, G. Feichtinger, R.A. Horvath, A. Kapteyn, D. Kessler, M. Nerlove, P. Pestieau, J. Pitchford, B. van Praag, A. Razin, G. Schmitt-Rink, G. Steinmann, B.-A. Wickstroem and K.F. Zimmermann.