Article 1. Name, Nature and Objectives
Section 1.
Name. The name of this organization shall be Middle East Economic Association (MEEA).
Section 2.
Nature and Objectives. MEEA shall be a private, non-profit, non-political organization of scholars interested in the study of the economics of the Middle East. The geographical term "Middle East" is used in its widest usage. This means that it is inclusive of North Africa and the former Soviet Central Asian Republics. its objectives shall be (a) to promote high standards of scholarship, (b) to facilitate communications among scholars through meetings and publications, and (c) to promote cooperation among persons and organizations committed to the objectives of MEEA.
Article II. Membership and Meetings
Section 1.
Types of Membership. Membership shall be open to scholars throughout the world and there shall be two categories of members: (a) Fellow Members and (b) Student Members.
a. Fellow Members. All those engaged in the teaching or research or other scholarly activities on the Middle East.
b. Student Members. The Board of Directors may admit as Student Members registered graduate students interested in the objectives of MEEA.
Section 2.
Annual Meeting. MEEA shall normally hold an annual meeting. This meeting shall consist of a business session and a planned program of papers and discussions to be prepared under the direction of the Board of Directors. Procedure of business meetings shall be governed by the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
Section 3.
Notice of Meetings. Notice of the forthcoming annual meeting and any special meeting shall be announced at the current annual meeting and/or served by mail on each member not less than 20 days before the meeting. Such notice shall state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called and the time and place it is to be held.
Section 4.
Quorum. At the annual meetings the members who are present shall constitute a quorum. Except as otherwise provided by law or by the Bylaws, the act of a majority of the members present shall be the act of the membership of MEEA.
Section 5.
Resignation and Removal of Members. Any member, Director or Officer may be removed at any time at any meeting by a vote of the majority of the membership.
Section 6.
Compensation. The board of Directors may authorize reimbursement for expenses incurred by members, Directors and Officers in connection with the performance of their duties, provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any member from serving MEEA in any other capacity or receiving compensation for such services.
Section 7.
Dues. All members are required to pay such membership dues as may be fixed by the Board of Directors of MEEA from time to time.
Section 8.
Voting Eligibility. Only members in good standing shall be eligible to vote or serve on the Board of Directors or on committees.
Section 9.
Chapters. MEEA members may organize themselves into chapters. The basic role of any chapter within MEEA is to facilitate activities consonant with the broad aims of MEEA at a more local level outside the framework of the organization's annual meetings and at times that would not conflict with those meetings. Outside of North America, however, the chapters should be at the national level or higher, e.g., Maghreb, Iran, Gulf, Germany, Western Europe.
Any individual or group proposing to establish a chapter of MEEA should communicate to the MEEA board member designated as the Chapter Liaison Officer the intent to do so. This communication should contain (a) a brief description of the activities contemplated, (b) the geographic (e.g., state within the u.s. or country) or alternatively functional (public finance, political economy) area of the chapter, and (c) a statement indicating that members of the chapter would also be members of MEEA and that such membership would be open to persons of any sex, religion, employer, political party, ethnic group and country of origin. This proposal would then be taken to the MEEA board for approval.
Once approved, the chapter members should select their own officers and communicate these with phone, fax and email numbers and addresses to the Chapter Liaison Officer on the MEEA board. Through the Chapter Liaison Officer the chapter members could explore MEEA activities of special interest to the chapter and the chapter activities of special interest to other MEEA members. One function of any chapter is to extend MEEA membership and activities within the area of the chapter. Yet, chapter activities could include participants who are not currently members of MEEA.
Chapter activities could be undertaken and organized without necessary approval of the MEEA board but the MEEA would not be liable for any expenditures or legally in any way for any activities undertaken without the expressed approval of the MEEA board.
Article III. Board of Directors
Section 1.
Management. The affairs and the property of MEEA shall be managed by the Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the Board or the Directors) except that the ultimate authority of MEEA shall be vested in the membership as expressed in the annual meeting or through mail ballots. The membership may originate general policies and give general directives to the Board of Directors. The Directors shall act only as a Board and individual Directors shall have no power as such.
Section 2.
Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Board shall be held as soon as practicable during the annual meeting of members.
Section 3.
Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board shall be called at any time by the Executive Secretary upon the request of the President or upon the request of the majority of the Directors.
Section 4.
Quorum. At all meetings of the Board the presence of five Directors shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum. Except as otherwise provided by law or by the Bylaws, the act of a majority of the Directors present and voting shall be the act of the Board.
Section 5.
Number of Directors. The Board of Directors shall consist of nine voting members: The President who may succeed himself/herself one time, Executive Secretary, Treasurer, six other members. Past presidents shall serve as non-voting ex officio Board members.
Section 6.
Election of Directors. The Directors shall be elected by the members for a three-year term and the election shall be held by mail. Candidates receiving the largest number of votes will be declared the winners. Should there occur a vacancy on the Board for whatever reason such as resignation, removal or death, then the Board is empowered to appoint a person to fill the un-expired term.
Section 1.
THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS of THE MEEA CONSIST OF a) a President, who shall serve as Chairman of the Board and who may succeed himself/herself only once if re-elected, b) an Executive Secretary and c) a Treasurer. One person may not hold more than one of the aforesaid offices.
Section 2.
Election of Officers. All officers shall be elected by the members for a three-year term and the election shall be held by mail. Candidates receiving the largest number of votes will be declared the winners.
Section 3.
President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and shall serve as chair of the Board. The President shall be the executive officer and official spokesperson in dealing with other organizations and with the general public. He/she shall exercise general supervision over all of the activities of the organization and shall have additional powers and duties as may from time to time be assigned to him/her by the Board. In the absence of the President, the Executive Secretary shall preside.
Section 4.
The Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary shall have charge and custody of and be responsible for, the correspondence and membership records of MEEA, the call for meetings, distribution of ballots and any other task that may be assigned to him/her by the Board.
Section 5.
The Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the keeping of accurate and adequate records of the correspondence, assets, liabilities and transactions of the organization. He/she shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects of MEEA in the name of and to the credit of MEEA in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as may be designated by the Board. He/she should report to the annual meeting on all MEEA's finances for the year.
Other, non-executive officers are as follows:
Section 6.
The Chapter Liaison Officer. The function of this officer is to serve as an intermediary between the MEEA board and actual or potential chapters and their activities as specified in article II, Section 9.
Section 7.
The MEEA Editorial Board Liaison Officer. The function of this board member is to assist the Series Editor and the MEEA board in the selection of the editorial board and serving as liaison between the two boards and the series editor on matters regarding publications.
Article IV. Officers
Article V. Committies
Section 1.
Executive Committee. The President, the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer shall constitute the Executive Committee. Such Committee may act in the name of the Board when the latter is unable to meet. The Board may constitute new committees from among the voting members for specific tasks.
Section 2.
Nomination Committee. The Nomination Committee shall consist of three Board members. They should elect their own chair. The offices to be filled are those of President, Executive Secretary, the Treasurer, and six Board members. Nominations for these positions should be solicited from the general membership and suggestions of nominees for the various offices be sent to the Chairperson of the Committee. The Nomination Committee shall provide the Board of Directors a slate of prospective nominees no later than July 30. The Board of Directors shall review the recommendations of the Nomination Committee and forward the list of candidates to the Elections Committee no later than September 30. All nominees shall be members in good standing. The Nomination Committee shall follow the procedure(s) established by the Board of Directors.
Section 3.
Election Committee. The Election Committee shall be selected by the Board of Directors who shall appoint at least three ex-officio Board members to distribute and count the ballots in accordance with the procedures determined by the Board of Directors and prepare a written report certifying the election of the successful candidates.
Section 4.
Program Committee. The Program Committee shall consist of the President, the Executive Secretary, and a Board member appointed by the Board. The Committee shall be responsible for selecting abstracts and papers and carrying out the program.
Section 1.
Fiscal Year and Audit. The fiscal year of MEEA shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31 in each year.
Section 2.
Notices. Except as may otherwise be required by law, any notice required to be given under these Bylaws shall be in writing and signed by the President or the Executive Secretary or other personnel authorized by the Board.
Article VI. Miscellenous Provisions
Amendments to these Bylaws or any of them may be proposed (1) by the Board of Directors (2) by petitions signed by 5 members in good standing. All proposed amendments shall be discussed at the first annual meeting of the members following their proposal, after which they shall be submitted by the Board of Directors to the members by mail ballots. After allowing sixty days for returns, they shall be considered adopted if approved by a majority of those returning ballots. Amendments shall become effective immediately upon adoption.