RC18 Political Sociology

These statutes for the CPS were discussed by its members at the International Sociological Association (ISA) XIII World Congress in Bielefeld, Germany, July 18-23 and at the International Political Science Association (IPSA) XVI World Congress in Berlin, Germany, August 21-25, 1994.  The statutes were be presented in the Fall 1994 CPS Newsletter for comments and subsequently approvred by the CPS membership. The statutes were revised and approved at the 1st ISA Forum in Barcelona (5-8 September 2008) and at the  XXI  IPSA World Congress in Santiago (12-16 July 2009).

Article 1: Name

The name of this Research Committee is the Committee on Political Sociology or CPS.

Article 2: Affiliation

The CPS has a dual professional affiliation. It is recognized by and operates as Research Committee 18 by the ISA and as Research Committee 6 by the IPSA. The CPS membership is compirised of 'sociologists' and 'political scientists' and its elected Board officers represent both disciplines and the interests of the two parent international organizations. This interdisciplinary exchange of scholars and ideas lies at the core of the CPS and determines its policies.

Article 3: Goals

1. To establish a community of scholars in universities and elsewhere who have scientific interests in examining the relationship between political and sociological phenomena;
2. To facilitate communication of scientific research, theory and practice across disciplinary and national boundaries among members of the ISA, IPSA and elsewhere;
3. To increase the theoretical and practical significance of political sociology both inside and outside the discipline;
4. To provide mutual support and freedom among members to generate and disseminate their research findings and ideas.

Article 4: Activities

1. To organize panels, paper sessions, research symposia and workshops at the ISA and IPSA World Congress meetings and to discharge the business of the CPS and its sponsor organizations;
2. To organize Work Groups to communicate and exchange specialized knowledge and topics throughout the membership of the CPS;
3. To organize interim scientific meetings within the framework of the CPS and Work Groups;
4. To publish and distribute the CPS Newsletter on a regular basis to CPS members and to the parent organizations.

Article 5: Work Groups

1. In order to foster activity in specific subfields of political sociology, work groups may be created;
2. Work Groups are organized according to the same principles as the CPS and operate within the organizational framework of the CPS.

Article 6: Membership

1. The membership of the CPS may be individual or collective (an organization), as specified in the statutes and by-laws of the ISA and IPSA;
2. Any ISA/IPSA member in good standing who has an interest in the field of political sociology can become a member of the CPS;
3. The CPS recognizes two types of members:
   1. Regular members who both qualify as political sociologists and pay their membership fee  directly to CPS or through ISA or IPSA.  Young scholars below 28 years of age can join CPS with a doscount fee;
   2. Affiliated members, who are not qualified as political sociologists or do not wish to join the CPS as regular members;
4. The membership fee is determined for a four-year period by the CPS Executive Board.

Article 7: Voting

Any ISA/IPSA member interested in the CPS can participate in CPS-sponsored activities, but only regular members (individual or organization) will be eligible to vote, conduct formal activities and hold elected office in the CPS.

Article 8: Officers and Elections

1. The officers of the CPS shall consist of an Executive Board that is made up of a president, a secretary, a treasurer and a minum of 4 and maximum of 9 additional officers, according ot the IPSA and ISA rules;
2. Temporary vacancies that occur between consecutive World Congresses may be filled by appointment by the Committee's president;
3. Each member of the CPS Board shall be a regular (dues-paid) member of the ISA and/or IPSA;
4. Election of Board officers shall take place every four years during the year preceding the ISA World Congress meetings. An effort shall be made to ensure a fair disciplinary, regional and gender representation;
5. Election procedures for CPS Board members:
   1. The election of the CPS Board members occurs every four years by open election and democratic ballot procedures;
   2. Any regular CPS member can nominate a candidate for office and/or run for elected office if nominated;
   3. The candidates nominated for each office will be presented for the election in the CPS Newsletter;
   4. All regular CPS members are eligible to vote for their candidates of choice;
   5. The vote will take place by email;
   6. The election and voting procedures will be administered by the CPS Secretary in cooperation with the CPS President;
   7. The results of the election will be published in the CPS Newsletter immediately following the election.

Article 9: Funds

1. The CPS is free to organize itself and to administer its own funds, to cooperate with academic and non-academic bodies, as well as to engage in any activities the CPS membership may consider appropriate to its stated goals and objectives;
2. The administration of all CPS funds is made accountable to the CPS membership on a regular basis through the CPS Newsletter.

Article 10: Compliance

All CPS statutes listed above are compatible with the principles, rules and regulations of its parent organizations - the ISA and IPSA.

Article 11: Amendments

The statutes could be amended at the CPS business meeting by simple majority vote at the IPSA or ISA World Congresses after having been circulated the proposed amendemnts in the CPS Newsletter.