An association under French law, governed by the law of July 1, 1901, as amended, and its implementing regulations, including the decree of August 16, 1901, as amended, as well as the Articles of Association, is formed between the members of the present Articles of Association and those who join them in the future.

The purpose of the Association is, to develop, directly or indirectly, in France and in any other country, activities of general interest of an educational, scientific or cultural nature, or to disseminate scientific knowledge without making a profit, in order to:

— Promote the development of scientific research in the field of public policy and encourage its internationalization;

— Promote the international dissemination of knowledge and know-how resulting from scientific research on public policy, in order to make research advances known to as many people as possible;

— Develop international networks of public policy researchers and knowledge to facilitate the exchange of experience and knowledge generated by research;

— Defend public policy research;

— And, more generally, to develop all relevant activities in the field of public policy.

The Association's head office is located at: LAET-ENTPE - 3, rue Maurice Audin - 69120 VAULX-EN-VELIN - FRANCE

The registered office may be transferred to any other location in the French Republic by simple decision of the Executive Committee.

The Association shall notify the competent administrative authority of any change in the address of its registered office.

7.1. Association membership: principles

To become a member of the Association, individuals must:

— undertake to respect the Articles of Association, the rules of ethics and good conduct as defined in particular in the Association’s Code of Conduct, the principles of its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, and the decisions of the Association, in particular those constituting the bylaws;

— be approved by the Association or enter into an agreement with the Association, which has sovereign status without having to justify its decision, under the conditions laid down in the Articles of Association and by the Bylaws;

— and have paid an annual membership fee, the amount of which is set by the Executive Committee, according to the type of membership and individual categories.

The Association is made up of several categories of members, defined below in article 7.2.

Institutional Members are represented by their legal representative or any other person duly appointed for this purpose. They have only one vote. Institutional members shall notify the Association of their decision to appoint a representative by any means and as soon as possible. Simple notification of the replacement of the representative is sufficient to enable the Association to record this replacement.

The decision to accept a new member shall be made by the President or the Secretary General, and the decision of President or Secretary General decisions shall be submitted to the next Executive Committee meeting for ratification.

Membership of the Association is governed by the bylaws.

7.2. Types of Members

The Association is composed of two categories of members, individual persons or legal entities, under private or public law, approved by the Association, collectively referred to as "Members":

• "Individual Member". Individual Members are individuals who subscribe to the Association's objectives and principles, and who intend to benefit from the activities of the Association, in particular by participating in conferences, workshops, and courses and/or by gaining access to documentary resources produced or distributed by the Association. Individual Members who are up to date with their membership fees are entitled to attend the General Assembly with the right to vote and to elect (other) Individual Members to the College. Individual Members are eligible for election to the College provided that they have been members of the Association for at least two years, have responded to the call for candidates organized by the Association, and have had their candidacy validated by the Electoral Commission referred to in Article 18 below, in accordance with the procedure and conditions laid down in the Bylaws.
• "Institutional Member". Institutional Members are organizations whose activities are complementary to the aims and activities of the Association, in particular, academic, research, and higher education institutions or one of their components (Universities, department, schools, Grandes écoles, laboratories, and research institutions) which subscribe to the objectives and principles of the Association and which intend to benefit from or contribute to its activities. An Institutional Member may have a representative appointed as a member of the College by submitting a request to the Executive Committee.
•  In addition, employees of the Association, provided that their personal activities or professional functions are not such as to call into question the disinterested management of the Association, may join the Association in a personal capacity; they may attend the General Assembly with voting rights, but are neither electors nor eligible for election to the College. They may be invited to attend meetings of the College or the Executive Committee, but without the right to vote.

7.3 Liability of Association members and executive members

The Association's assets alone are liable for the commitments entered into in its name, without any of its members or executive members being personally liable for such commitments, subject to the possible application of specific legal or regulatory provisions relating to the civil or criminal liability of a member or de jure or de facto director of the Association for a personal fault definitively established by a court of law.

The General Assembly is composed of all paid-up members of the Association.

The General Assembly is convened by the President at least 30 days before the date of the meeting. It shall meet at each International Conference on Public Policy or at the written request of at least 25 percent of the members of the Executive Committee. The General Assembly may be convened by electronic means (in particular e-mail, websites or social networks).

The agenda of the General Assembly shall be set by the President (after consultation with the EC).  The agenda and all documents required for the deliberations shall be made available to the members by the Association sufficiently in advance to ensure relevant discussion.

When a General Assembly is held, a record of attendance shall be certified by the President and at least one other member of the Executive Committee present.

Meetings of the General Assembly shall be presided over by the President of the Association or, in his or her absence, by another member of the Executive Committee designated by the President or the Executive Committee.

The bylaws set out the terms and conditions for participation in the General Assembly, including videoconferencing. For the purpose of calculating the majority, members participating in the General Assembly by videoconference shall be deemed to be present. This means of identification shall be transcribed or appended to the attendance sheet and shall guarantee their effective participation in the discussions, deliberations, and votes.

At the General Assembly, decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of the votes cast by the members present.

Resolutions of the General Assembly shall be taken by a show of hands. A secret ballot may be requested by the Executive Committee or in cases provided for in the bylaws.

The Secretary General shall attend the General Assembly meetings.

Employees of the Association who are not members may be invited to attend the General Assembly in an advisory capacity.

The General Assembly shall receive the President’s report and the Treasurer's financial report from the last General Assembly. The General Assembly shall decide on all matters on the agenda submitted to it for information and discussion; it shall deliberate on all requests proposed by the College and more generally, decide on all acts or operations that exceed the powers of the College or the Executive Committee.

11.1 Composition

The Executive Committee shall be composed of twelve (12) members elected by the College from among its members or their representatives, for a non-renewable term of four (4) years. The terms of office of half of the Executive Committee members are renewable every two years.

To be eligible for election to the Executive Committee, a member of the College or their representative must:

— have been a member of the Association for at least four years at the time of election;

— be up to date with annual dues;

— have submitted an application in response to the call for candidates issued by the Executive Committee;

— have had their candidacy validated by the Electoral Commission, as provided for in article 16 below.

The Executive Committee may also appoint up to a maximum of eight (8) other members to the Executive Committee for a specific task-based mandate and in recognition of their recognized skills, expertise and experience and their ability to contribute to the work and activities of the Association in its various fields of activity. Appointed members of the Executive Committee shall have the right to attend and participate fully in all EC meetings but shall not have the right to vote.

The outgoing President of the Association shall be an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee for a period of two years following the end of his or her term of office as President.

The Secretary General shall also be a member of the Executive Committee and shall attend its meetings with the right to vote.

If the mandate of an elected member of the Executive Committee ceases for any reason whatsoever before the end of their term of office, the Executive Committee shall appoint another Member on an interim basis. The College shall be invited to ratify the appointment of the replacement Member, or to elect another Member at its next meeting. In all cases, the replacement Member shall exercise their functions only for the remainder of the term of office of the Member replaced.

The term of office of elected members of the Executive Committee shall end upon the expiration of their term of office on the Executive Committee or the College, or upon their resignation.

A member of the Executive Committee may also be dismissed for just cause by a 2/3 majority vote of the College, with the representative of the Member concerned not taking part in the vote, after the Member concerned has been informed of the (just) “Reasons”(but based on facts) and has been given an opportunity to respond, in accordance with the procedure defined in the Internal Rules.

11.2. Executive Committee meetings and deliberations

The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice a year at the call of the President or at the request of at least 25 percent of its members.

Notification of the meeting, including the location, date, and time of the meeting, shall be sent to each member of the Executive Committee at least eight (8) days prior to the meeting.

The notification of the Executive Committee meeting shall specify the agenda for the meeting, as drawn up by the President or by at least 25 percent of its members. All relevant documents shall be sent to the members in advance of the meeting. Any additional items to the agenda must be submitted to the President at least three (3) days before the date of the meeting.

The bylaws specify the conditions for participation in Executive Committee meetings by videoconference or telecommunication. Members who participate in the Executive Committee meeting by videoconference or telecommunication means that enable them to be identified and guarantee their effective participation are deemed to be present for the purpose of calculating a majority.

Executive Committee meetings shall be chaired by the President of the Association or, in their absence, by another member of the Executive Committee designated by the President.

Executive Committee decisions shall be made by a simple majority of the members present. In the event of a tie vote, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

Association employees may be invited to attend Executive Committee meetings in an advisory capacity.

The Bylaws shall govern the operation of the Executive Committee.

11.3 Responsibilities of the Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is vested with the broadest powers to direct, manage, and take all decisions in the interest of the Association, within the limits of the corporate purpose and subject to the powers vested in the College and the General Assembly. It reports on its management to the College and informs the General Assembly.

The responsibilities of the Executive Committee include to:

— draw up the projects and activities implemented by the Association, in line with the general guidelines defined by the College;

— determine the allocation and use of resources;

— accept or reject gifts, donations and bequests in accordance with the procedures set out in the Bylaws;

— determine each year the annual subscription dues of the members according to their membership category and/or personal situation, as well as the amount of any entry fees for events organized by the Association;

— create, as it deems useful, the specialized working commissions or advisory committees necessary for the smooth running of the Association, whose missions and composition it shall determine in accordance with the procedures defined in the Bylaws;

— decide on applications from representatives of Institutional Members for membership in the College;

— elect the Association's President, Treasurer, and Vice-President(s) from among its members;

— set the conditions for recruiting and remunerating staff;

— adopt and amend the Bylaws;

— be informed of and, if necessary, deliberate on draft and final agreements involving the Association, in accordance with the procedures specified in the Bylaws;

— deliberate on "regulated" agreements before submitting them to the College for approval;

— prepare the budget, the annual financial statements for the year (balance sheet, income statement and notes), the activity report, the financial report, and, where applicable, the statement of expenditure of funds raised from the public, submitted to the College for approval and communicated to the General Assembly;

— take all decisions relating to the admission of new Members, their eligibility for election to the College, or the loss of Member status;

— appoint the Association's Secretary General and set their remuneration, if any;

— authorize acquisitions, exchange or sale of real estate, as well as mortgages and loan agreements, where applicable ratified by the General Meeting, in accordance with the conditions, notably relating to the amount of the commitments entered into by the Association, specified in the Bylaws.

The Executive Committee may, by special resolution, delegate its powers to the President or the Treasurer or the Secretary General or any other member of the Executive Committee.

The Treasurer is elected by the Executive Committee from among its members for a two-year term, renewable once, on the proposal of the President.

The Treasurer shall oversee the execution of the Association's budget and shall prepare, on behalf of the Executive Committee, the annual financial report for approval by the College.

The Secretary General shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for a term of six (6) years, which shall be immediately renewable.

The Secretary General, by delegation of authority from the Executive Committee or the President, may direct and manage the Association's activities and operations, in accordance with the decisions of the Executive Committee and the President, to whom they report regularly. In this respect, the Secretary General shall be responsible for the management of the Association's staff and team and shall exercise disciplinary authority. They shall be in charge of the day-to-day organization of the Association and its activities and may undertake all commitments and day-to-day operations in accordance with the decisions of the Executive Committee.

The Secretary General shall report regularly to the President on the Association's activities and operations, and at least once before each Executive Committee meeting.

The Secretary General may, by special act, delegate part of their powers in accordance with the procedures defined by the Bylaws.

The Secretary General shall attend meetings of the College and the Executive Committee in a deliberative capacity.

As an exception to the provisions of article 10.4 above, the Secretary General may be remunerated, within the legal and regulatory limits or administrative tolerances specific to non-profit organizations, whose management is disinterested and for the sole execution of their mandate. The amount and conditions of the remuneration, as well as any revision thereof, shall be voted on by the Executive Committee in the absence of the person concerned. The College and, where applicable, the Statutory Auditor, shall be informed.

Expenses incurred in connection with the Secretary-General’s mandate may be reimbursed in accordance with the conditions laid down in the bylaws.

The College may set up specialized working commissions or advisory committees, whether permanent or not, as required for the smooth running of the Association. It shall determine their names, missions, and composition in accordance with the procedures defined in the Bylaws.

The Executive Committee shall draw up a Code of Conduct, which each member undertakes to respect on joining the Association and which shall define the ethical principles within the Association, reflecting in particular the Association's policy on combating all forms of discrimination and harassment.

The Association's financial year shall run for one year, from January 1^st to December 31^st.

23.1. Applicable law

The Association shall be governed by French law to the exclusion of all other laws.

23.2. Prior search for a non-contentious solution

In the event of any dispute arising between members or between a member and the Association or any dispute arising from the execution or interpretation of these Articles of Association and their sequel, the members and the Association undertake to do their utmost to find an amicable solution, if necessary, with the assistance of a third party.

23.3. Competent courts

In the absence of an amicable settlement, any dispute arising between members or between a member and the Association in connection with the Association's corporate affairs, during the Association’s existence or in the course of its transformation or liquidation, as well as any dispute that may arise in connection with the execution or interpretation of these Articles of Association and their sequel, shall be submitted to the competent French courts in the jurisdiction of the Association's registered office.

The Association may be transformed into another legal entity in accordance with the laws and regulations, or it may be dissolved voluntarily by the College under the same procedural conditions as those set out in Article 24 (Amendment of bylaws) above, and in compliance with the legal and regulatory provisions specific to associations governed by the law of July 1, 1901.

In the event of voluntary or legal dissolution, the College shall appoint one or more liquidators, and the assets ("liquidation bonus"), if any, shall be transferred in accordance with article 9 of the law of July 1, 1901, to an association or charitable organization pursuing objectives similar to those of the Association.

End of the Constitution.