General Assembly Minutes

Minutes from IRSA General Assembly Meeting
XI World Congress of Rural Sociology
July 29, 2004

Attendance:

The General Assembly was attended by 82 delegates. A full listing of names and affiliations is found in the appendix.

Frank Vanclay opened the General Assembly at 16:20 p.m. He asked that we proceed in a timely fashion to ensure that we finish by 18:15.

He then briefly reviewed IRSA’s organizational objectives, which include support of rural sociology in different regions of the world and promotion of dialogues and useful exchanges among rural sociologists around the world.

Vanclay announced his successor, Prof. Alessandro Bonanno, In-Coming President and introduced the Out-Going and In-Coming Executive Committees and Council members, requesting that those members in attendance stand to be acknowledged.

Vanclay asked that the minutes from the 2000 General Assembly held in Rio de Janeiro, be accepted. Moved by Ray Jussaume and seconded by Mark Shucksmith that the minutes from the 2000 General Assembly held in Rio de Janeiro de accepted. (Passed unanimously)

Vanclay reported on matters arising from the minutes of the 2000 General Assembly, indicating actions taken by the IRSA Executive Committee and IRSA Council in response to them.

  • IRSA needs to put its history on its website and consider creating the Office of Historian/Archivist. (A brief history of IRSA has been posted to the website that will need to be expanded and continually updated. The Secretary/Treasurer will archive important material on the website. The new Council will consider the position of Historian.)
  • IRSA needs to work on rebuilding the links with FAO. (No action has been taken on this recommendation, but the new Council has been requested to pursue this.)
  • IRSA needs to consider its potential role as a clearinghouse for international rural sociology information. (This issue was discussed further, but not implemented due to the complexity of doing so; it will be revisited by the new Council.)
  • IRSA needs to establish clear procedures for selecting World Congress sites. (This has been done through the By-laws and Procedural Manual.)
  • IRSA needs to continue to work with a possible member association in Africa. (IRSA initially attempted to establish contact with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa [CODESRIA], but had a limited response. It also invited the presidents of CODESRIA and the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa [OSSREA] to attend the current World Congress to continue exploring this linkage). The president of OSSREA, Regina Karega, accepted the invitation and is attending this General Assembly.)
  • IRSA needs to formalize its International Sociological Association (ISA) links in order to facilitate its work. (IRSA has become a “Collective Member” of ISA.)

Dave Hansen presented the Quadrennial Report (see appendix for Report).

Motion: Moved by Hans Bakker and seconded by Hugh Campbell that the Report be accepted by the General Assembly. (Passed without comment)

Dave Hansen then presented the Financial Report which shows that IRSA currently has about $35,000 in its checking and savings accounts. Over the past four years, approximately $8750 has been collected in membership dues. Major outlays during this period have been for website development and maintenance and travel by the IRSA Executive Committee. Total expenditures have been approximately $7,750. IRSA regional association members are paid up in dues through 2003. IRSA’s financial books were audited by Prof. Linda Lobao, Past President of the RSS, who certified that the accounts are in order. (see appendix for Report);

Frank Vanclay mentioned that preliminary analyses of income/expenditure streams for the current World Congress indicate that it will yield an additional income of over $10,000 for IRSA. He noted that regional and potential national members associations will pay reduced dues in the future, thus making it easier to be members. IRSA will rely more on revenues generated by World Congresses in the future.

Motion: Moved by Heather Aslin and seconded by Hilary Tovey that the Financial Report be accepted by the General Assembly (Passed without comment)

Frank Vanclay then initiated a discussion of the process of changes made to the IRSA Constitution. Major revisions in the Constitution were approved at the 2000 World Congress. Additional minor revisions have been proposed since then and they were approved by the IRSA Council at its meetings in 2002 and 2004. These changes were posted to the IRSA website for scrutiny by the membership. Copies of the changes were placed at the entry to the General Assembly room for further scrutiny by those present.

Motion: Moved by Mark Shucksmith and seconded by Philip McMichael that proposed changes to the Constitution as amended by the IRSA Council at its July 25, 2004 Meeting be approved. (Unanimously Passed)

Frank Vanclay then introduced the changes to the By-laws that have been approved by the IRSA Council at its recent meetings. He indicated that changes in By-laws are approved by the IRSA Council and ratified by the General Assembly.

Motion: Moved by Larry Busch and seconded by Josefa Cavalcanti that the changes to the By-laws as amended by the IRSA Council at its July25, 2004 meeting be ratified. (Unanimously Passed)

Frank Vanclay then introduced the IRSA Procedural Manual that had been developed over the last four years. He noted that the Procedural Manual is an important operational roadmap for the IRSA Executive Committee and IRSA Council. It further stipulates how the By-laws are to be implemented and provides for greater transparency of operations. Although there is no requirement for the General Assembly to approve the Procedural Manual, the Council wanted the General Assembly to be aware of its content, to know that it was publically accessible on the website, and to provide an opportunity for participants to comment on them. He therefore asked for a motion to note the Procedural Manual.

Motion: Moved by Heather Aslin and seconded by Geoff Lawrence that the General Assembly note the changes that have been made to the Procedural Manual (Unanimously passed)

Frank Vanclay then announced that the 2008 World Congress will be held in Korea. He presented the Programme Chairs and Local Arrangement Chair for this Congress and announced that there would be a presentation of the proposal in the closing session of the current Congress. Vanclay mentioned that he had had the opportunity to visit Seoul, Korea during June, 2004 to observe first hand where the Congress will be held. He expressed enthusiasm for the venue and confidence in the organisational capacity of the Korean Rural Sociological Society and its partner, the Korean Rural Economic Institute.

Heather Aslin raised a concern about the structure of the programme of the actual World Congress, indicating that attention should be given to the appropriate number of working groups for the 2008 World Congress. Alberto Arce also mentioned that attention needs to be given to languages used at World Congresses. More attention should be given to the opportunity to communicate in Spanish and French. Other questions were raised about the proposed venue and organisation of the 2008 World Congress.

Frank Vanclay praised the proposal presented by the Korean delegation, indicating that it set a new standard for IRSA Congresses.

Frank Vanclay then discussed what he saw as key issues that need to be addressed by IRSA in the future

  • IRSA needs to continue to develop a relationship with OSSREA and to explore how to use this relationship to further develop linkages with rural sociology in Africa.
  • IRSA needs to think strategically using a 12 year planning horizon, particularly in regard to the organisation of World Congresses.
  • IRSA needs to liaise with an African organization for the hosting of the 2012 World Congress, with a proposal to be considered in 2008.
  • IRSA needs to increase resources and income taking into account principles of equity and partnering with development organisations. The latter should be approached to secure support for those with limited resource capacity to attend IRSA Congresses. The IRSA Executive Committee and IRSA Council need to develop IRSA’s capacity to approach these organisations to solicit this support.
  • IRSA needs to use its website more effectively, including the posting of papers of World Congresses on it.
  • IRSA needs to consider developing a statement of values, vision and mission.

In-Coming President, Alessandro Bonanno, then thanked Frank Vanclay for his enormous contributions to IRSA and presented him with a plaque of appreciation for them.

Bonanno mentioned that globalisation will remain a key issue and that its impact will continue to define a key role for IRSA. He asked everyone to participate in the deliberation of this trend and its impacts on rural society. He further invited all to contribute ideas to IRSA about how to accomplish this.

A discussion of the current Congress ensued. Mark Shucksmith and Lynda Cheshire reported on the programme, indicating that over 800 abstracts had been received with over 575 registrations and 551 papers accepted. They thanked the symposia and working group chairs for their great efforts and suggested that they may still have work to do. They thanked Marit Haugen and Reidar Almas, Local Arrangements Committee, for their excellent inputs and Frank Vanclay, President, for his guidance. Shucksmith then formally expressed his thanks to Lynda Cheshire for having kept things moving during his period of recovery following surgery.

Reidar Almas then spoke on behalf of the Local Arrangements Committee. He thanked Frank Vanclay and Dave Hansen along with Mark Shucksmith and Lynda Cheshire for their support for and collaboration with the Local Arrangements Committee. He also thanked Marit Haugen for her invaluable contributions to local arrangements. The final number of participants was 600 consisting of 547 Congress participants and 53 accompanying participants. The Local Arrangements Committee had worked to get funding for simultaneous translation, but did not succeed.

A series of recommendations and suggestions about how to improve future World Congresses were then raised by those in attendance, including

  • Attention to speaking English to a multi-lingual audience
  • Balance between Working Groups and Symposia
  • Organisation of conferences within the context of local culture and rural issues
  • Use of non theater style rooms
  • Styles of presentations in symposia and working groups
  • Visits to research sites with mini-presentations at field sites
  • Graduate student scholarships for translation inputs
  • Opportunities for non-native English participants to speak
  • Appropriate venues that allow for people involved in Working Groups to translate for each other

Ki Whan Chung, Local Arrangements Committee Chair for the proposed 2008 World Congress, indicated that translation costs in Korea are very expensive. He indicated that programme chairs may need to decide how to deal with translation needs at the next Congress.

Motion: The General Assembly thank the Local Organising Team and the Programme Chair and Deputy Programme Chair for an excellent Congress. (Passed with Resounding Acclamation)

The General Assembly closed at 5:50 p.m.

General Assembly
Appendix

Attendance List for General Assembly, 2004 Meeting

Name Institutional Affiliation Regional Assoc.
Frank Vanclay University of Tasmania AON
Alessandro Bonanno Sam Houston State University, USA RSS
David Hansen Ohio State University, USA RSS
Gil Sun Kang SNU, Korea ARSA
Chija Kim Cheong SNU, Korea ARSA
Chung Ki Whan Korea Rural Economic Institute ARSA
Heather Aslin Bureau of Rural Sciences, Australia AON
Ji Woong Cheong SNU, Korea ARSA
Sang-Bin Kang SNU, Korea ARSA
Joseph Molnar Auburn University, USA RSS
Kalyan S. Mandal Indian Institute of Management ARSA
Vaughan Higgins Monash University, Australia ARSA
Marian Shriver Wageningen University, Netherlands ESRS
Tai-Hun Kim KNU, Korea ARSA
Oakla CHO Sogang University, Korea ARSA
Joo-sook Kim Hanshin University, Korea ARSA
Shun Mukasa Mie-University, Japan ARSA
Haruo Kumai TUA, Japan ARSA
Haruo Kuroyanagi Sugiyama Women’s University, Japan ARSA
Jan Elder James Cook University, Australia AON
Bettina Bock Wageningen University, Netherlands ESRS
Imre Kovach Inst. of Political Sciences, Hungary ESRS
Jose Ramon Mauleon Un. of Basque Country, Spain ESRS
Alex Koutsouris Agricultural Un. of Athens, Greece ESRS
Ola Aaten Norwegian. Ag. Econ. Research Ins. ESRS
Regina Karega Kenyatta University, Kenya OSSREA
Bjorn Egil Flo Centre of Rural Research, Norway ESRS
Hitomi Nakamichi Ehime University, Japan ARSA
Reidar Almas Centre of Rural Research, Norway ESRS
Lynda Cheshire University of Queensland, Australia AON
John Wilkinson Fed. Rural Un. of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil ALASRU
Philip McMichael Cornell University, USA RSS
Manuel Belo Moreira Tech. University of Lisbon, Portugal ESRS
Josefa Salete Cavalcanti Fed. University of Pernambuco, Brasil ALASRU
Kevin O’Toole Deakin University, Australia AON
Bill Reimer Concordia University, Canada RSS
Hilary Tovey Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland ESRS
Lynelle Osburn Charles Sturt University, Australia AON
Christian Deverre INRA, Avignon, France ESRS
Joachim Singelmann Louisiana State University, USA RSS
Jose E. Rodriguez R. Uni. Central de Veracruz, Mexico ALASRU
Bertrand Hervieu CIHEAM, Paris ESRS
Marc Barbier INRA, Paris ESRS
Keiko Wakabayashi Un. of Agriculture, Tokyo ARSA
Grzegorz Forys Academy of Education Krakow, Poland ESRS
Krzysztof Gorlach Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland ESRS
Eva Kucerova Czech Un. of Agriculture, Prague ESRS
Karl Bruckmeier University of Goteborg, Sweden ESRS
Wakigo Zakata Kushiro Public Un. of Econ., Japan ARSA
David O’Brien University of Missouri, USA RSS
Raymond A. Jussaume Washington State University, USA RSS
Yolanda Massieu Un. Auton. Metropolitana, Mexico ALASRU
Rosa Luz Gonzalez Un. Auton. Metropolitana, Mexico ALASRU
Marit Haugen Centre for Rural Research, Norway ESRS
Elsa Faugere INRA, France ESRS
Nathalie Lewis CEMAGREF Bordeaux, France ESRS
Lucie Dupre INRA, France ESRS
Alberto Arce Wageningen University, Netherlands ESRS
Stewart Lockie Central Queensland University, Australia AON
Mara Miele University of Cardiff, Wales, U.K. ESRS
Kathryn Teigen DeMaster University of Wisconsin, USA RSS
Hans Bakker University of Guelph, Canada RSS
Mark Shucksmith University of Aberdeen, Scotland ESRS
Hugh Campbell University of Otago, New Zealand AON
Charlotte Fabbianson University of Western Sydney, Australia AON
Jenny Onyz Univ. of Technology, Sydney, Australia AON
Paul Milbourne Cardiff University, Wales, U.K. ESRS
Brian Cheers University of South Australia AON
Mieczyslaw Adamowicz Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland ESRS
Wynne Wright University of North Iowa, USA RSS
Keiko Tanaka University of Kentucky, USA RSS
Lawrence Busch Michigan State University, USA RSS
Li Guoqing Chinese Academy of Social Sciences ARSA
Surichai Wun’Gaeo Chulalonkorn University, Thailand ARSA
Akiyoshi Takahashi Tokyo University, Japan ARSA
Geoff Lawrence University of Queensland, Australia AON
Blanca Rubio UNAM, Mexico ALASRU
Aurora Cristina Martinez UNAM, Mexico ALASRU
Garth Cant University of Canterbury, New Zealand AON

IRSA
Secretary-Treasurer Quadrennial Report
2000-2004

1. IRSA Journal

Sponsorship of a journal to disseminate research results was explored by an IRSA Council Task Force, with active participation by Goran Djurfeldt, ESRS representative, and Frank Vanclay, President. A tentative agreement was reached with CABI International in the U.K. to publish it, and an editor for the journal was identified. Negotiations were eventually discontinued because of projected costs and a decision by the proposed editor to decline the position. Ultimately, it was also recognized that IRSA members have access to other international publication outlets for their research.

2. IRSA Web Site

The IRSA website was updated and further elaborated. Council decided on a domain name (www.IRSA-world.org) which was created on the web. IRSA contracted with Mark Jarvis, Digital Memories, located in Colombia, Missouri, to manage the website. Mr. Jarvis reorganized the website and has continued to update and amplify it as instructed by members of IRSA Council, the IRSA Executive Committee, and the World Congress Program and Local Arrangements Committees. Mr. Jarvis has offered to prepare a report of his activities and will provide recommendations related to future website needs.

3. International Sociological Association Membership

IRSA formally joined the International Sociological Association (ISA) and has been registered as an Affiliate Member. The decision to join was prompted by Council discussion and perceived similarity of interests between IRSA and ISA. IRSA is formally listed on ISA’s membership list (see http://www.ucm.es/info/isa/).

4. Revision of Constitution, By-laws, Procedural Manual

Under the leadership of President Vanclay, the Constitution, By-laws and Procedural Manual for IRSA were substantially modified. Modifications provide greater clarification about issues and procedures that are essential to effective organizational maintenance and performance by IRSA.

5. Revision of Annual Dues

Among the changes proposed to the By-laws, one of great significance is the reduction in dues payments by regional association members. The reduction was in response to concerns raised about the amount of membership fees, the ability of members from some regions to pay, and equity concerns. Regional association dues will be cut approximately in half. Future revenues for IRSA will be expected to come primarily from surplus revenues generated by World Congresses.

6. Mid-Term Council Meeting

The Mid-Term Council Meeting was held in conjunction with the July, 2002 Congress of the International Sociology Association in Brisbane, Australia. This meeting was well attended. At it, Council endorsed the changes being proposed to the Constitution, By-laws and Procedural Manual. Council also approved several other items, such as the decision to focus on Asia for the 2008 World Congress (see www.IRSA-world.org for detailed minutes of this meeting).

7. Strengthening Rural Sociology Networks in Africa

The Executive Committee focused on strengthening rural sociology in Africa, a major region of the world with limited representation and limited organization of rural sociological research and teaching. President Vanclay worked with the Committee for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), an association based in Senegal. CODESRIA may continue to be a focal point of contact for future similar efforts in Africa.

8. Regional Association Meetings Attended

During the past four years the IRSA Executive Committee focused on interacting with regional association members. Members of the Executive Committee attended meetings of member associations. President Vanclay continued to provide leadership to the AON. He also attended a meeting of the ESRS in Dijon, France in 2001. Alessandro Bonanno, Vice President, attended an ALASRU meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2002 and attended RSS meetings. President Vanclay and Secretary Hansen attended the 2nd ARSA Congress in Indonesia, Spring, 2004.

9. Location of the 2008 World Congress

A formal call was made for bids to host the 2008 World Congress in late 2003. The invitation to submit bids was made through the leadership of the member regional associations. IRSA announced that its preference was for a bid from Asia and it received a preliminary bid from the Korean Rural Sociological Society in collaboration with the Korean Rural Economic Institute. Its authors were encouraged to seek the support of ARSA for this effort. During the ARSA Congress in Lombok, Indonesia in Spring, 2004, President Vanclay and Secretary Hansen met with the leadership of ARSA and Korean delegation members to discuss the proposal, and ARSA formally endorsed the bid at that time.

10. Selection of In-Coming IRSA Leadership

In-Coming Council ­ In Spring, 2004, each IRSA regional association member was requested to nominate three representatives to the In-Coming Council for the period 2004-2008. These names were provided to the Secretary-Treasurer and will be posted to the IRSA web site following the 11th World Congress.

President: A formal request was sent to IRSA regional association members through their Council representatives, requesting that they encourage current and past members of the IRSA Council to stand for President. After considerable dialogue, two nominations went forward to the Out-Going Council for vote. Prof. Alessandro Bonanno, Sam Houston State University, USA, was elected to the position.


TREASURER’S REPORT
INTERNATIONAL RURAL SOCIOLOGY ASSOCIATION
June 22, 2004

Checking Account:

Transaction


Date

Dep

Chk

Amount

Description
Account
Balance
03/30/01
05/24/01
07/13/01
08/09/01
10/09/01
11/30/01
01/29/02
06/27/02
08/09/02
08/09/02
10/17/02
12/09/02
05/21/03
07/14/03
09/08/03
10/18/03
11/02/03
12/03/03
02/11/04
02/12/04
02/26/04
02/27/04
03/08/04
03/23/04
04/02/04
04/02/04
06/01/04
06/22/04
X

X
X

X

X
X
X

X
X

X

X


101

102
103
104

105
106

107
108
109
110
111

112

113

114
115

116


$ 401.00
887.80
916.00
600.00
30.00
649.11
1,980.00
628.00
980.00
484.00
240.00
1,992.00
175.00
190.00
35.00
175.00
520.00
536,00
1,760.00
530.00
11.00
280.00
340.00
657.39
1,821.50
158.00
620.00
Beginning Balance
Vanclay Visit to OSU
Balance Transfer from Luloff
ESRS Dues Payment
Vanclay ­ Dijon Meeting
Vanclay ­ Dijon Meeting
Djurfeld ­ Dijon Meeting
RSS Dues Payment
Vanclay/Hansen ­ Brisbane
Digital Memories
ALASRU Dues Payment
AON Dues Payment
RSS Dues Payment
ISA Dues Payment
Digital Memories
Internet Corp. Listing Srvc.
ISA Dues Payment
Digital Memories
ESRS Dues Payment
RSS Dues Payment
Digital Memories
Wire Transfer Fee
Mark Jarvis (Web Site)
AON Dues Payment
Vanclay/Hansen ARSA
Hansen ARSA Travel Exp.
ALASRU Dues Payment
Mark Jarvis (Web Site)
$13,000.00
12,599.00
13,486.80
14,402.80
13,802.80
13,772.80
13,123.69
15,103.69
14,475.69
13,495.69
13,979.69
14,219.69
16,211.69
16,036.69
15,846.69
15,811.69
15,636.69
15,116.69
15,652.69
17,412.69
16,882.69
16,871.69
16,591.69
16,931.69
16,274.30
14,452.80
14,610.80
13,990.80

Savings Account:


Date

Dep

WD

Amount

Description
Account
Balance
2001
03/17/01
12/31/01
2002
12/31/02
2003
12/31/03
2004
03/17/04

BALANCE


X
X

X

X

X


20,000.00
399.84

303.31

372.51

83.81


Open Account
Interest

Interest

Interest

Interest


20,000.00
20,399.84

20,703.15

21,075.66

21,159.47

35,150.27


DUES PAYMENTS ­ REGIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
INTERNATIONAL RURAL SOCIOLOGY ASSOCIATION

Year ALASRU AON RSS ESRS RUM ARSA
1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

604

604

219

219

242

242

242

158


50

50

244

244

300

300

240

240

100

1618

1618

1622

2024

2030

1986

2010

1966

1980

1992

1760


376

376

402

440

440

448

370

324

452

456

456

344

100

118

118


—-


     

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