Call for papers: Arctic governance in comparative regional perspective

We seek to create an edited volume to examine how Arctic governance compares to other regions. A rich body of evidence has been produced by Arctic scholars to evaluate the nature, intensity and evolution of Arctic governance and institutions. For example, attention has been devoted to assess the effectiveness of the Arctic Council, the role played by the Barents Euro-Arctic Region or the impact of the Polar Code. These studies have allowed for a deeper understanding of the past, present and future of norms, rules, cooperation and conflict in the Arctic region.

However, Arctic governance has often been investigated in isolation, positing the region as possessing traits that are exceptional or unique. While the regional environment has particularities not found elsewhere, several phenomena are dealt with in other regions, be it climate change, continental shelves, regional fishing arrangements or Indigenous Peoples’ rights, to name only a few.

This call for papers seeks to remedy to this shortcoming. We seek contributions that compare Arctic governance to governing mechanisms in other regions of the globe. The objective is to generate insights to answer key questions: is the Arctic an exceptional region in terms of governance? Can we predict Arctic futures by analysing how similar problems were resolved elsewhere? Can we learn and apply solutions implemented in other regions to the Arctic? Can it provide us with creative/innovative solutions?

Possible topics and questions include, but are not limited to:

• Theoretical or conceptual contributions related to regionalism, regional construction with connections to the Arctic region;
• Comparing the effectiveness, roles or inclusiveness of Arctic institutions with other regional institutions;
• Finding best practices on regional governance arrangements to shape future regimes in the Central Arctic Ocean (fishing, shipping, resource extraction);
• Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in Arctic governance compared to other regions;
• Successes and limitations of science diplomacy in the Arctic region compared to other regions;
• Comparing regional military cooperation from other regions on topics such as nuclear-weapons-free-zone or monitoring military exercises;
• Methods to include sub-national governments and administrations (cities, provinces, states) in multilateral cooperation;
• Ways that similar topics (climate change, gender equality, food security, economic development) are tackled in Arctic institutions compared to other regional institutions.

The goal is to analyse the Arctic compared to other regions, generating a comparative regional perspective. Interested authors should submit a 250-words abstract to summarize their contribution.

The objective is to include the contributions in an edited volume in to be published in late 2022-early 2023. Please submit your abstract to Mathieu Landriault (mathieu.landriault@enap.ca) no later than February 28, 2022. Accepted contributors will be expected to submit their chapters (between 6000-9000 words) by September 1 2022. An online workshop will be held to allow contributors to present their main findings and receive retroaction in early June 2022.