ACM SIGecom Bylaws
BYLAWS of SIGecom the Special Interest Group on Economics and Computation of the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.
- Adopted 1/11/99
- Amended 8/27/2018
- Amended 4/14/2020
Article 1. Name and Scope
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This organization will be called the Special Interest Group on Economics and Computation (“SIGecom”) of the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. ("the ACM").
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The scope of SIGecom’s specialty is to encourage research and applications at the interface between computer science and economics, using economic ideas and computational reasoning to understand and improve social and economic interactions.
Article 2. Purpose
SIGecom is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational, scientific and technical purposes in its specialty. Its services will include:
- Collecting and disseminating information in the specialty, through a newsletter and other publications approved by the Publications Board of the ACM;
- Organizing sessions at conferences of the ACM;
- Sponsoring conferences, symposia, and workshops;
- Organizing working groups for education, research and development;
- Serving as a source of technical information for the Council and other units of the ACM;
- Serving as an external technical representative of the ACM when authorized by the Council or the Executive Committee of the ACM; and
- Working with other units of the ACM on technical activities such as lectureships or professional development seminars.
Article 3. Charter
Sigecom will exist until dissolved as provided in Bylaw 6 of the ACM.
Article 4. Officers
- SIGecom's officers are the Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer. The officers are elected for two-year terms beginning July 1 of odd-numbered years.
- The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading SIGecom and managing its activities. The duties of the Chair are:
- Calling and presiding at SIGecom's Executive Committee and Business meetings;
- Conducting SIGecom's activities in accordance with the policies of the ACM; and
- Making all appointments and filling vacancies as authorized herein.
- The duties of the Vice-Chair are:
- Assisting the Chair in leading and managing the Group; and
- Presiding at meetings when the Chair is absent.
- The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer are:
- Maintaining the records and correspondence of the Group;
- Keeping and distributing the minutes of Business and Executive Committee meetings of the Group; and
- Managing the Group's finances according to the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM. This includes preparing the annual budget, monitoring the Group's disbursements for adherence to the annual budget, and preparing financial reports as required.
Article 5. The Executive Committee
- The SIGecom Executive Committee comprises the officers, the Past Chair, and the Editor of the SIGecom newsletter. No person may hold two positions on the SIGecom Executive Committee
- The general duties of the SIGecom Executive Committee will be to advise the Chair on all matters of interest to the Group. Specific duties or responsibilities may be specified in these Bylaws or assigned by the Chair. All the major management policy decisions of the Group must be approved by the SIGecom Executive Committee.
- All members of, or candidates for, the Executive Committee must be voting members of the ACM and of SIGecom.
Article 6. Vacancies and Appointments
- Should the Chair leave office before his/her term expires, a member of the Advisory Board will assume the duties of Chairman. Should any other office or the position on the SIGecom Executive Committee reserved for the Past Chairman become vacant, the Chairman of the SIG Governing Board (SGB) may, on nomination of the SIGecom Chairman, fill the vacancy. Vacancies in positions appointed by the SIGecom Chairman may be filled according to the procedures for making the original appointments as provided herein.
- Should a vacancy be unfilled, either because of inadequacy of these bylaws or because of a dispute for any other reason, the SIG Governing Board Chairman may fill it.
- All appointments expire automatically when the Chairs's term of office expires. Appointees, however, will continue to serve until a successor is appointed by the new Chairman.
Article 7. The Newsletter
- SIGecom will publish a newsletter at regular intervals as determined by its Executive Committee. . The newsletter will be available to all SIGecom members electronically or distributed via print. Newsletter subscriptions may be sold to non-members.
- With the advice of the other officers, the Chairman will appoint the Editor of the newsletter, who will become a member of the SIGecom Executive Committee.
Article 8. Membership, Dues, and Voting Privileges.
Article 9. Reports and Records.
Article 10. Elections.
Article 11. Amendments
- These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the ACM Executive Committee, or by a vote of the SIGecom members as provided below. With the approval of the SIGecom Executive Committee and of the Executive Committee of the ACM, 2/3 of all members of the SIG Governing Board may amend Article 1 of these bylaws without a referendum of the members.
- Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the SIGecom Executive Committee, the SIG Governing Board, or a petition from 1% of the voting members of the Group. All proposed amendments must be approved, prior to being submitted for a vote of the membership, by the Chairman of the SIG Governing Board and by the Constitution & Bylaws Committee of ACM, after the Executive Director of ACM has provided advice.
- The ballot on the proposed amendment(s) will be conducted among the eligible voters by ACM Headquarters following the procedures of the ACM for voting bylaw amendments, unless a different procedure has been approved by the SIG Governing Board. The proposal is adopted only if at least 2/3 of the effective votes of returned ballots approve it, and only if at least 10% of the ballots are returned. The Secretary-Treasurer will send a clean copy of the amended bylaws to the Executive Director of the ACM and to the Chairman of the SIG Governing Board.
Article 12. Dissolution
Should SIGecom be dissolved, control of its assets will revert to the ACM.
Article 13. Meetings
SIGecom will conduct at least one business meeting each year. All meetings sponsored by SIGecom must be open to all members of the ACM. SIGecom may hold meetings only in places that are open to all classes of members of the ACM.
Article 11. Consistency
The Constitution, Bylaws and policies of the ACM and of the SIG Board take precedence over any conflicting provisions of these bylaws or internal policies of SIGecom.