I. NATURE OF THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

1) The Research Committee bears the name: Research Committee on Sociocybernetics, and is a Research Committee within the organizational structure of the International Sociological Association (henceforth to be called: RC51).

2) It has been established in accordance with article 4of the statutes of the International Sociological Association (henceforth to be called: ISA).

3) The RC will administer its own funds, in accordance with article 4.1 of the ISA statutes.

4) These funds consist of (see art. 10):

a) membership fees from individual members;

b) membership fees from institutional members;

c) ISA subventions;

d) donations, grants, and other means.

II. OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

5) It is the main objective of RC51 to promote the development of sociocybernetic theory and research within the social sciences. Sociocybernetics is broadly defined here as including first- and second-order cybernetics, general system theory, and various combinations and variations of these that can be subsumed under the term "the emerging sciences of complexity", to the extent these can be applied to the subject matter of the social sciences.

III. ACTIVITIES OF THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

6) To bring this objective closer to realization, RC51 has formulated the following subgoals and shall take measures accordingly:

a) to encourage the international exchange of research findings by developing formal and informal international networks of researchers;

b) to promote international-collaborative research, especially of a comparative nature;

c) to publish a regular Newsletter, e-mailed to all members in good standing, to keep them informed of ongoing and planned activities;

d) to otherwise further the dissemination of research results, amongst others by helping members to find outlets for their publications;

e) to organize and/or sponsor international meetings, seminars, workshops etc. where sociocybernetic researchers can come together for an exchange of research findings;

f) to involve social scientists from disciplines other than sociology (e.g. psychology, social psychology, criminology, social philosophy, psychiatry, political science, economics, etcetera) to the extent they are engaged in the study of sociocybernetics and related approaches;

g) to organize sessions at the World Congresses of Sociology and, more generally, at other congresses of international associations involved in any of the social sciences, cybernetics, and General System Theory, and to promote thepublication of a selection of the results thereof;

h) to encourage and facilitate the participation of members from Third World countries;

i) to promote the study of concrete sociocybernetic strategies and the dissemination of the results, also outside of the scientific community;

j) to cooperate with other Research Committees, and with international associations or institutions engaged in or interested in the study of sociocybernetics and related fields.

IV. MEMBERSHIP IN THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

7) Any bona fide social scientist, working in any of the fields desribed in article 5, can be an individual member of RC51, provided he/she accepts the statutes and will observe them. Membership in RC51 is possible as a regular member , i.e. a member both of RC51 and of the ISA, and as affiliated member with limited rights in accordance with article 4.6a of the ISA statutes, i.e. a member of RC51 only.

8) Participation in the activities of RC51 is only possible for those who are members in good standing. The presentation of a paper at a World Congress of Sociology furthermore requires to be an ISA member in good standing. Exceptions can be decided by the board for certain cases.

9) Members in good standing are those who have either paid their membership dues, or have received an exemption of dues from the treasurer, who is empowered by the board to give such exemptions.

10) The RC51 membership fees, for the four-year period in between World Congresses of Sociology, are set by the board:
- for individual members of ISA country category A;
- for individual student members of ISA country category A;
- for individual members of ISA country categories B and C;
- a one-time payment for life members,
- a variable amount for institutional members, depending a.o. on the size of the institution concerned, and to be determined by the treasurer.

11) The members have the right:

a) to vote every four years for board elections;

b) to suggest themselves or others for board functions and/or organizational functions (e.g. session organizers), board members have to be ISA members in good standing in accordance with article 4.6a of the ISA statutes;

c) to participate in all scientific activities of RC51;

d) to receive the RC51 Newsletter and the Journal of Sociocybernetics free of charge;

e) to obtain a reduction on other RC publications;

f) to ask for support in all matters directly or indirectly relating to their professional lives (e.g. letters of recommendation for tenure at their university, for publishers to publish their manuscripts, for travel grants to attend RC51 meetings, etc.);

g) to volunteer for membership in special committees (see art. 15).

12) The members are expected:

a) to accept and observe the statutes;

b) to pay their membership fees;

c) to fill out occasional questionnaires, an indispensable instrument for the board to determine its policy, and return them promptly;

d) to send relevant news items (book reviews, announcements of upcoming meetings, proposals for research projects, possibilities for grants, etc.) to the Newsletter editor, produce now and then contributions to the Journal of Sociocybernetics, and also otherwise take an active role in the affairs of RC51;

e) to produce a paper at least once every four years, whether at the World Congress of Sociology, one of the annual International Conferences of Sociocybernetics or at some other international meeting organized by RC51.

V. GOVERNING BODIES OF THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

13) The board of RC51 is responsible for the overall organization and scientific production of the RC, and shall consist of:
- a president;
- one to three vice-presidents;
- a secretary;
- a treasurer;
- a past president;
- a minimum of four and a maximum of elevenadditional members, the exact number to be determined before the elections by the outgoing board, and each having a clearly described function.
- the local organizers of Interim Conferences of RC51 are board members by office for the full period of office of the board unless they are already regular board members.
- the World Congress Programme Coordinator of RC51 is a board member by office for the full period of office of the board. unless this person is already regular board member.
- the Honorary President is invited to the board in an advisory role.

14) The board shall contain no more than three members of the same country, while an effort shall be made to ensure a fair regional as well as disciplinary and gender representation.

15) The board may establish committees for specific purposes for a specified and limited duration that will remain accountable to the board.

VI. ELECTORAL PROCEDURES OF THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

16) The board members, with the exception of the secretary, are elected by e-mail ballot around the end of the year in which the World Congress of Sociology is held, unless a quorum is present during the World Congress.

a) In order to ensure this will be possible, the board will either establish, or function itself, as a Nominating Committee and will draw up a list of candidates to be submitted to and discussed at the business meeting during the World Congress of Sociology.

b) Immediately after the congress, the secretary will e-mail this list to all members in good standing (i.e. members who have paid both their ISA and RC51 their dues or have received an exemption of dues from the treasurer) with the request to suggest additional candidates - possibly including themselves - within a period of no more than two months.c) Additional candidates must be willing to serve the full four-year term if elected and must have the initial written support of at least three members in good standing.

d) For each of the five functions of president, treasurer and three vice-presidents two candidates should be presented; moreover, an effort will be made to also have two candidates for each of the other board member functions.

e) The outcome of the elections - per function (president, treasurer) or per group of functions (vice-presidents; other board members) - will be determined by the number of votes received within two months after mailing the ballots.

f) In case a board member dies or is incapacitated during his/her term of office or does not pay the dues, he/she will be replaced by the candidate for that function having the next highest number of votes. If this is not feasible, the board can appoint another candidate or leave the function vacant.

g) Board members can serve no more than two consecutive four-year terms in one and the same position.

h) The secretary for the next four-year period will be selected by the outgoing board before or during the World Congress of Sociology, as this function requires a strong commitment, and especially a strong institutional support.

VII. RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD MEMBERS

17) The responsibilities of the board members are the following:

a) The president shall take initiatives regarding the planning of the organizational and scientific activities of RC51, and shall regularly consult with the other board members in this respect, especially with the secretary; he/she shall chair the business meetings of RC51 and be the RC delegate to the ISA Research Council, and shall represent RC51 on all formal occasions - such as the signing of contracts with outside bodies - unless arranged otherwise among the board members.

b) The secretary shall closely cooperate with the president in running the day-to-day affairs of the RC and shall in principle take care of most correspondence and other contacts with members and non-members. Often, but not necessarily so, he/she shall also be the RC's alternate to the ISA Research Council, as well as the editor of the Newsletter/Journal of Sociocybernetics, as his/her position is a central one in the information network of RC51.

c) The president and the secretary together will make proposals to the other board members regarding the RC51 program during the World Congresses of Sociology, i.e. concerning the overall session coordinator, session topics, and session organizers; together, they will draw up the agenda for the board meeting and the business meeting, and together they will produce the bi-annual report of RC51 activities for the ISA Research Council.

d) The Newsletter editor shall have ultimate responsibility for collecting copy for the Newsletter and for editing, producing, and mailing it. Arrangements shall be made by the board to assist him/her in these different functions. As stated sub b) this function can be combined with that of secretary, though efforts will be made to keep these functions separate.

e) The Treasurer will manage the account(s) of RC51 and will be responsible for correct book-keeping to the board. The treasurer will see to it that members pay their RC51 dues on time, and that all board members are individual members of the ISA; he/she will take decisions regarding exemption of dues, and will provide the president and the secretary regularly with updated membership lists, indicating the status of the individual members; if there is no specific board position devoted to this, he/she will also make an effort to find additional funding for the work of RC51 and/or for specific research projects executed under the auspices of RC51.

f) The vice-presidents may replace the president whenever necessary; they will be the main advisers of the president and the secretary in organizational as well as scientific matters, and are supposed to take an active role in the preparation of the RC51 sessions at the World Congresses of Sociology.

g) The past president will provide for a desirable continuity of administration and will be available for advice to the president and the other board members.

h) The board members shall in principle be willing to assume specific tasks decided upon after each election by the new board; anyhow, they shall promote interest in the activities of RC51 in the region(s) or among the subgroup(s) they represent, and shall report at least once a year on relevant developments within that region or subgroup. Moreover, they are supposed to (co-)organize an RC51 session at the World Congresses of Sociology and to take an active role in organizing sessions at the annual International Conferences of Sociocybernetics and meetings of other associations.

VIII. FINAL REGULATIONS

18) These statutes were adopted by mail ballot in 1996 after discussion during the business meeting of the RC at the 10th International Congress of Systems and Cybernetics in Bucharest, August 28, 1996. They were slightly adapted to new circumstances after being discussed during the World Congress of Sociology in Brisbane, July 2002, and approved by mail ballot in late 2002. They were revised again after due discussion by the business meeting of RC51 at the XVIth World Congress of Sociology in Durban, South Africa, July 29, 2006.

19) Changes in and amendments of these statutes must be proposed in writing by at least five members in good standing, and must subsequently be approved by mail ballot by a two third majority of these members; finally, a three quarter majority of the board has to approve the changes.