Charter of ISA Section on “Global Development”
(as agreed upon on Saturday, February 25, 1995 in the Joliet Room at the Chicago Hilton and amended on Thursday, March 18, 2000 in Los Angeles)
Article 1: Name
This Section shall be known as the Global Development Section of the International Studies Association (GD/ISA).
Article 2: Purposes
The aim of GD/ISA is to advance analysis of and debate about the political economy of international development theory, politics, policy & planning, criterion & evaluation, especially between the scholarly and policy communities in both South & North. In particular, it will seek to advance in and through ISA awareness of issues in and participation by analysts from the South via continuing, mutual communication & research links among faculty, students, practitioners & others in civil society concerned with sustainable development.
Article 3: Networks
GD/ISA will encourage cooperative relations with a range of institutions which share its interests, such as other Sections within ISA (especially Environmental Studies, Feminist Theory, International Ethics, International Organization, IPE & Peace Studies) and with like-minded professional associations (e.g., Society for International Development, Development Studies Association, Canadian Association for the Study of International Development, Association for Women in Development etc) and sections (e.g., Study Group on New World Orders in IPSA);
Article 4: Membership
Membership GD/ISA is open to all ISA members who pay Section dues and are thereby entitled to attend annual Section business meetings, to nominate & vote for the selection of Section office-holders and to receive Section mailings.
Article 5: Officers
The Executive Committee of GD/ISA will consist of a past-Chair, Chair, Vice-Chair/Treasurer & Secretary/Newsletter Editor, all elected at the annual ISA & Section Convention for one year terms, except for the Chair who will serve a two year term. The Chair will normally provide liaison with the ISA and be responsible with the past-Chair for organizing the Section’s Convention panels. And the Vice-Chair will normally play the role of Treasurer. To ensure continuity as well as democracy, there will normally be rotation between positions. So, as the past-Chair retires, s/he is succeeded by the Chair and then the Vice-Chair/Treasurer, who in turn is succeeded by the Secretary/Newsletter Editor, i.e., there is one departing and one new Executive member per year, and no one person normally serves for more than four consecutive years. Each year, the one vacancy will be decided by election among nominated members; such nominations must be endorsed by at least five Section members and received at least one month before the annual meeting so that candidates can be announced along with panels before the Convention.
Article 6: Activities
In addition to convening an annual business meeting of members of GD/ISA and elections, the Section will (co)organize panels at ISA Conventions, publish a Newsletter which will appear at least once a year, and co-sponsor events in between annual conferences in association with ISA Regions and related, appropriate organizations. All such activities will be approved by the Section’s Executive and publicized through the Newsletter.
Article 7: Finances
The GD/ISA Section will finance its activities through ISA-approved dues and other incomes from members & friends which meet ISA criteria. The Vice-Chair as Treasurer will present a budget statement at the annual Section business meeting.
Article 8: Evaluations & Amendments
The Global Development Section, like all other ISA Sections, has to be evaluated & rechartered every five years. Meanwhile, amendments to this Charter can be proposed by the Section Executive or by petition by 10 members received at least one month before the next ISA Convention. Any Amendments so proposed must be adopted by two-thirds of the Section’s members present & voting.
