1. Home
  2. ESSA Constitution

ESSA Constitution

I. Name of the Association

The name of this organization is the European Social Simulation Association (ESSA).

II. Purpose of the Association

The objectives of ESSA are:

  1. To encourage the advancement of social simulation research including:
    1. The design and implementation of computational models of actual and artificial societies, social groups and institutions
    2. The use of computational models to support social policy analysisc. the use of social simulation to inform software engineering design
  2. To promote cooperation among European social scientists, computer scientists and scholars and practitioners from other disciplines using computational models and methodologies to advance social understanding.
  3. To promote wider international cooperation in the creation and support of an international federation of similar societies and associations that may be established in other regions of the world.
  4. To encourage and support the development in Europe of education in social simulation by:
    1. Providing support for the development of courses involving universities and research institutions from several European countries
    2. Publicising courses offered by European institutions
  5. To hold a conference at least biennially for members of the Association as well as occasional workshops and other meetings of a more specialised focus.
  6. To liaise with other associations and societies in the coordination of the international programme of conferences and meetings of interest to scholars and practitioners undertaking research in, or developing applications of, social simulation.

III. Membership of the Association

ESSA membership shall be open to scholars, practitioners and students who

  1. are in agreement with the objectives of the Society
  2. pay annual dues appropriate for their membership category.

IV. The Management Committee

The affairs of the association shall be managed by officers and a Management Committee, which shall be elected by the members of the Association.

  1. The officers of the association shall be:
    1. The President, who shall be the chair of the Management Committee
    2. The Secretary, who shall be responsible for organising the meetings and recording the deliberations and decisions of the Management Committee.
    3. The Treasurer, who shall be responsible for the financial affairs of the Association.
  2. There shall be a maximum of 15 members of the Management Committee, including its officers.
  3. The officers and the other members of the Management Committee shall be elected to serve terms of two years. Elections shall thus be organized every two years, during a Conference of the Association.
  4. Candidates as officers have to mention explicitly the position they apply for before an election. Officers are elected directly by the members of the association. The other candidates who obtain the most votes are elected to serve in the MC, their precise role will be decided during the first meeting of the new Management Committee.
  5. There is no restriction concerning the number of terms an MC member can apply for.
  6. The Management Committee may vote to co-opt new members to the Management Committee for a duration specified by the MC but not exceeding the period to the next election.
  7. The Management Committee shall include the past president of the association for a duration of two years.

V. Membership Dues

The Management Committee shall set the specific categories and amounts of subscription. Initially, full member subscriptions will be €50 per annum and student member dues will be €30 per annum.

VI. Section Organization

Members of the Association will be encouraged to form specialised sections according to their particular interests.

VII. By-laws

ESSA by-laws will be formulated by the Management Committee consistently with this constitution and approved by majority vote of those present at a meeting of the membership of the Association. By-laws may be used to specify officers, committees and their associated responsibilities, establish membership categories and associated dues, and create specialised sections.

VIII

This constitution can be amended by majority approval of the membership of the Association.

Approved by the ESSA Annual General Meeting on: September 14th, 2007.

© 2015-2024 European Social Simulation Association (ESSA).