Standing Committees of the Economic History Society
The Society’s committees report to the Executive and to Council, which appoints their members after receiving suggestions from the Executive. Committees may co-opt members with the consent of Council.
Members of Council will normally be expected to serve on one or more committee during their period as a trustee. The Society’s committees may also include non-Council members with appropriate, skills, expertise and commitment.
The following Standing Committees of Council are currently in operation.
Awards Committee
The Awards Committee considers applications to the Initiatives and Conference Fund and the Research Fund for Graduate Students.
Membership: Two members of the Society (Dr K. Hickson and Dr H.J. Paul currently serve); the Honorary Secretary (Dr W.P. Howlett); and the Honorary Treasurer (Professor C.R. Schenk). The committee is chaired by the Honorary Secretary.
The Honorary Secretary considers applications to the Facility Grants for Undergraduate Students fund (which is also administered by this committee) with the exception of those applications received from his own institution, when other members of the committee are consulted.
Members of the committee will not normally serve for more than three years. The chair and the Honorary Treasurer may serve for the period of their office.
Conference Committee
The Conference Committee is responsible for organising the central academic programme for the annual conference and for advising and assisting the work of the local organiser(s) in arranging the New Researchers’ Sessions and accommodation/ hospitality. It is responsible for wide circulation of the calls for papers, for accepting and rejecting proposals and for commissioning additional papers or sessions to ensure that the conference is of the highest quality and reflects a wide range of the research interests and concerns of the membership of the Society.
Membership: Three members of the Society (Dr P di Martino, Dr J. Davis and Professor P. Kirby) plus the Conference Committee chair (currently vacant), the Honorary Treasurer (Professor C.R. Schenk) and the local organiser(s). The local organiser(s) serves for the 12-month period prior to each conference, other members for a three-year period (on a rolling basis), with the exception of the Honorary Treasurer who serves for the period of his/her office. The chair of the conference committee is ex-officio a member of the Executive Committee and is invited to attend Council.
Fellowship Committee
The Fellowships Committee administers funding to support the work of postgraduate students completing a doctorate and/or post-doctoral students converting a recently completed doctorate into published form. It advertises, and awards annually, a Power, a Postan and a Tawney fellowship which are administered through the Institute of Historical Research. From time to time additional Fellowships may be awarded.
Membership: Two members of the Society (currently Professor N.F.R. Crafts and Dr N. Zahedieh); the President (Professor Sir Richard Trainor); the Honorary Treasurer (Professor C.R. Schenk); the Director of the IHR, and the convenor of the Department of Economic History at the London School of Economics. The committee is chaired by the Director of the IHR.
The President, the Treasurer, the Director of the Institute of Historical Research and the convenor of the Department of Economic History at the London School of Economics serve for the period of their office, other members normally serve for a three year term.
Investment Committee
The Investment Committee considers reports from the Society’s investment advisers and recommends appropriate action by the Treasurer.
Membership: Two members, currently Dr B. Gupta and Dr A.L. Murphy, elected by Council from among its own membership; and the Honorary Treasurer (Professor C.R. Schenk). The committee is chaired by the Honorary Treasurer.
IT Committee
The purpose of the IT Committee is to support the Web Editor in managing and developing the Society’s website and to advise the Executive and Council upon matters of communication and IT strategy in relation to the objects of the Society.
Membership: Two members of the Society, with appropriate skills/ interests (currently Dr S. Haggerty and Professor R. Middleton), the chair of the Schools and Colleges Committee (currently Dr K. Dannehl) and the Web Editor (currently Professor P. Kirby) as chair. Members will normally serve for a three year period, but the Web Editor and chair of the Schools and Colleges Committee will normally serve for the period of his/her office.
Publications Committee
The purpose of the Publications Committee is to promote the study of economic and social history through publication of relevant research and scholarship.
The functions of the committee are to devise and monitor a publication policy for the Society which will ensure that: the content and form of publications sponsored or otherwise supported by the Society, fit with the overall objectives of the Society; the quality of publications is maintained at a level appropriate to a learned society; and the scope of publication is appropriate to the multiple constituencies of economic and social historians which comprise membership of the Society.
Membership: The Editors of the Review (currently Professor S.N. Broadberryand P.R. Schofield); the Honorary Treasurer (Professor C.R. Schenk); the Honorary Secretary (Dr W.P. Howlett); the Editors of New Approaches to Economic and Social History (currently Professor B. Doyle and Professor L. Neal) the chairs of the IT and Schools and Colleges Committees (respectively: Professor P. Kirby and Dr K. Dannehl); two other members of the Society (Dr D. Coffman and one vacancy); and a chair (Professor B. Doyle).
Members will normally serve for a three year term or for their term of office; the chair may serve for three years plus up to an additional three years.
Schools and Colleges Committee
The Schools and Colleges Committee aims to promote interest in economic and social history in schools and colleges and to maintain good lines of communication between teachers of the subject at secondary and tertiary level.
Membership: Members of the Society who are school or FE college teachers (currently Dr R. Carpenter), and other members of the Society, including the chair (currently Dr K. Dannehl), Dr A. Capern, Mr T. Mansfield, Dr N. van Manen and Ms C. Withall.
Members may serve for three years plus up to an additional three years.
Women's Committee
The Women’s Committee aims to promote the participation of women in all areas of economic and social history.
The committee organises an annual workshop and proposes a session or sessions for the annual conference. It also encourages and sponsors proposals to the Publications Committee for publications related to its concerns.
The committee makes an annual report to the Council of the Society and the organisers of the Annual Workshop make an independent report to the Treasurer.
Membership: membership of the committee is open to all. A chair (currently Dr H.J. Paul) and a Secretary (currently Dr A. Capern) generally serve for three years, but the chair may serve for three years plus up to an additional three years.
