of the

Research Association on Monetary Innovation and Community and Complementary Currency Systems
– RAMICS

Adopted in Salvador da Bahia (Brazil), October 29th 2015. Amended in Barcelona (Spain) on May 12^th 2017 and in Hida-Takayama (Japan) on September 12th 2019.

Preamble – Presentation of the Association

The Association originates from the discussions held in the first two international conferences on Complementary Currency Systems, in 2011 and 2013.

The mission of the Association is to promote academic research on diverse monetary and social exchange systems. The Association will particularly focus on innovative schemes that contribute to economic diversity, social cohesion, democratic participation and environmental sustainability, like complementary and community currencies.

Its main aim is to bring together the ideas of a number of theorists and theoretical traditions in various scientific disciplines to understand in a relevant way the proliferation of currencies since the turn of the millennium. The present plurality of means of payment and units of account follows multiple historical precedents and the association fosters research that would recognize the role of history and evolutionary processes in the formation of monetary systems within capitalist and non-capitalist economies. It is then focussed on the varieties of money and currency systems, that it aims at analysing in theory as well as in policy, notably through connexions with practitioners, policymakers and various observers of these systems.

Constitution

The Association is governed by and functions according to the following Constitution.

Article 1. Name

According to the French Law of 1^st July 1901 and the Decree of 16 August 1901, the Association is created between the Members, under the legal name of:

• In French: Association de recherche sur les innovations monétaires et les systèmes de monnaies complémentaires
• In English: Research Association on Monetary Innovation and Community and Complementary Currency Systems

The Association is designated by its acronym RAMICS.

Article 2. Aim and purposes

2.1 The Association is a non-profit body of social scientists of all nationalities with a mission to promote and develop academic research, general knowledge and public debate on diverse monetary and social exchange systems.

2.2. The Association will particularly focus on innovative systems that contribute to economic diversity, social cohesion and environmental sustainability, like complementary and community currency systems.

2.3 The Association will work towards the following objectives:

• to foster international cooperative studies and analyses on varieties of money and monetary systems,
• to bring together academics and practitioners working in these areas, and to ensure mutually beneficial learning between these two groups,
• to contribute to a better understanding in the public policy field of monetary regulation and policy and its historical change.

2.4 For these purposes, the Association will organise a biennial conference.

2.5 For these purposes, the Association can also organise other conferences, seminars, summer schools, information networks, research groups, websites, newsletters and other publications. It will promote academic and policy-relevant publications related to its core area of expertise, including the International Journal of Community Currency Research (IJCCR).

2.6 The Association, when appropriate, shall cooperate with academic institutions, organisations or departments, government and non-governmental organisations to reach its aim and purposes. The association also aims at cooperating with practitioners, advising policies and contributing to a better understanding of the complex nature of money.

2.7 The Association is not wedded to any one partial political theory or ideology, or type of political theory or ideology.

Article 3. Office and period of activity

3.1. The Association’s registered office is:

UMR Triangle / Institut des sciences de l’homme

14 avenue Berthelot

69007 Lyon, France

It can be transferred by simple decision of the Management committee, with a necessary ratification by the General Assembly.

3.2. The Association’s period of activity is indefinite.

Article 4. Theoretical Perspectives

The Association favours multidisciplinary research and plurality in approaches and perspectives within each discipline of the social sciences. It promotes academic research under the following principles:

• The analysis is open-ended and interdisciplinary in that it draws upon relevant material in economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography, history, law, political science, management science and any other disciplines that provide useful insights in diverse monetary and social exchange systems..
• The conception of socio-economic systems is of a cumulative or evolutionary process unfolding in historical time in which agents are faced with chronic information problems and radical uncertainty about the future.
• The concern is to address and encompass the interactive, social process through which monetary systems are formed and changed, and the interactions between varieties of money and socio-economic systems.
• The concern is to regard money and currencies as institutions, related to other social institutions such as the state and civic organisations, without postulating any hierarchy between them.
• It is acknowledged that monetary systems are a critical element in the socio-economic system, which depends upon, and is embedded in, a fragile natural environment and a complex ecological system.
• The enquiry is value-driven and policy-orientated and recognizes the centrality of participatory democratic processes to the identification and evaluation of real needs.

Article 5. Language

5.1 The official language of the Association shall be French, in order to comply with the French legal framework of Associations of Law 1901

5.2. The main communication language in the Association and of the Association shall be English, although every member has the right to use his or her own language in written or verbal communication

5.3 Multi-lingual meetings and conferences may be organized. The organisers of the biennial conference may decide to translate the plenaries into various languages.

5.4 Members of the Association are free to translate the main communications of the association to other languages than the official language of the Association and the main communication language of the Association, but for legal purposes these will be treated as unofficial communications.

Article 6. Membership

6.1. Membership of the Association shall be open to any person and any academic or research organisation sympathetic to the research focus and willing to abide by these Constitution and Rules, and shall be valid upon receipt of the Membership Fee

6.2 Every member has a voting right and the additional right to know the names and addresses of all other current members of the Association.

6.3 A member may resign by written notification to the Secretary.

6.4. The Management committee may exclude any member who damages the interests of the association or whose actions contradict the association’s purpose. He must have been let informed of the procedure and invited by written communication to present him or herself to the Management committee in order to provide clarifications.

Article 7. Membership Fees

7.1 The membership fees shall be determined biennially by a resolution proposed and seconded at an Ordinary General assembly. In the event of a failure of a resolution concerning Membership Fees to gain an overall majority under the provisions of Clause 10.4, the preceding fees shall remain operative.

7.2. Payment of the membership fees brings rights of membership for the calendar year of the biennial congress and the year that follows.

7.3. There shall be no reimbursement of donations or membership fees in the case of resignation or exclusion.

Article 8. Resources

To achieve its purposes, the Association may engage in all legal activities compatible with the ways and means of these Articles of Association and may hold and make use of all the resources permitted by current legislation, particularly: membership fees, income generated by activities proper to the Association, public, national and international grants, patronage, sponsorship, etc., private gifts, contributions in kind and all other resources which would not be contrary to the laws in force

Article 9. Internal Regulations

A schedule of Internal Regulations shall be drawn up which specifies the practical arrangements for applying these Articles of Association. The Internal Regulations shall be prepared by the Management Committee. They and any amendments shall enter into force temporarily, before being subject to approval by Resolution of the General Assembly.

Article 10. Administration

10.1 The Membership of the Association is the sovereign body that governs its activities and that is expressed by majority vote at a quorate General Assembly as defined in Article 10.4.

10.2 The Association commits to holding an Ordinary General assembly every year (OGA). Every two years, the GA will be included in the agenda of the biennial conference.

10.3 The Agenda of the OGA will include the following matters:

• Presentation and vote of the Association’s Annual Activity Report
• Presentation and vote of the Association’s Annual Accounts Report
• Every two years, election of the Management committee (Hereafter, the Committee)
• Other matters included in the Agenda by the Committee.
• Matters raised under Any Other Business. These matters raised under Any Other Business will be discussed at the next meeting of the Committee and cannot be voted on at the OGA.

10.4 The quorum at a General Assembly shall be either 20 paid-up members or, if the paid-up membership is lower than 40, 50% of the overall paid-up membership.

10.5 The date, time and venue of the OGA will be communicated by the Secretary through a written notification to all members at least one month in advance.

10.6 The right to vote at the Ordinary General Assembly and at Extraordinary General Assemblies shall be open to all paid-up members.

10.7 All candidates for election of Management committee of the Association must have been members of the Association for at least two years at the time of voting, or at least since the previous biennial conference, with the exception of the organizer of the next biennial conference and with the exception of the founding committee.

10.8 All serving officers of the Management committee must be current members of the Association. If a member of the Committee ceases to be a member of the Association, then his or her membership of the Committee shall be terminated immediately.

Article 11. Management committee

11.1 In the interim period between Ordinary General Assemblies the day-to-day affairs of the Association shall be conducted by the Management committee.

11.2 The Committee shall be responsible for the control of the Association’s activities and all matters relating to the general conditions of the Association, namely its accounts, the processing of membership applications, the maintenance of the membership lists, communication, and the organisation of conferences and seminars. The Committee shall present a financial report and an activity report to every ordinary General Assembly.

11.3 The composition of the Management committee shall be as follows:

• The Chair of the Association
• The Secretary of the Association
• The Treasurer of the Association
• Four complementary members

11.4 The Management committee shall include the two last organizers of biennial conferences and, when possible, the organizer of the upcoming one.

11.5. The members of the Committee are elected on the basis of a list presented to the General Assembly organized during the Biennial Conference. The composition of the list shall take care of balances on gender, geographical and disciplinary viewpoint. The Management committee is elected for a two-years mandate.

11.6 The quorum for decisions made by the Committee shall be three, including at least two persons among the Chair, the Secretary and the Treasurer. The Committee can invite other members of the Association to attend and speak at the meetings of the Committee, but without granting them a voting right.

11.7. The Committee meets at least twice a year.

11.8 At each Management committee Meeting, the President will be asked to provide a report indicating present and proposed programmes, outstanding events, proposed expenditure and information on any relevant matter.

11.9 In relation with the President, the Secretary shall convene all meetings of the Committee and give notice to the Committee by email at least two weeks before the meeting. The Secretary will provide a report to keep the committee informed on the progress in the upcoming conference.

11.10 The Treasurer will provide details of the financial state of the Association and its evolution.

11.11 Minutes of the Committee are written by the Secretary and will be circulated to Committee members. They will be signed by the Chairperson and recorded in an appropriate format by the Secretary.

11.12 Any member of the Management committee may resign by giving written notice to the Secretary or, by default to the President.

Article 12. Accounts and Assets

12.1 All accounts and assets of the Association shall be managed by the Treasurer, under the monitoring of the Chairperson.

12.2 The accounts of the Association shall be open to the inspection of all members. The Treasurer prepares the Financial report to be voted by the Ordinary General assembly. The voted financial report shall be published on-line.

12.3 The assets of the Association shall be permanently dedicated to the purposes specified in Section 2 above.

12.4. In the case of the dissolution of the Association, the remaining assets shall be utilized for the purchase of books and materials to be contributed to educational institutions across the world.

Article 13. Statements and Resolutions

13.1 Members may not make any written resolution or statement in the name of the Association except by the approval of a quorate Committee or a quorate General assembly after discussion.

13.2 The Committee shall publish the proposed or amended resolution or statement and it shall be circulated to all members.

Article 14. Constitutional Amendments

14.1 A constitutional amendment may be introduced by the Committee at a General assembly.

14.2. A constitutional amendment requires a positive vote of two-thirds or more of those present and voting at a quorate General assembly.