Journal of Special Jurisdictions
About the Journal
Founded by the Institute for Competitive Governance (now the Institute for Decentralized Governance) in 2019, the Journal of Special Jurisdictions is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal established to advance knowledge of Special Economic Zones and other special jurisdictions.
Themes and Topics
The Journal publishes original research on the theory, history, regulation and development of special jurisdictions. Its scope includes special economic zones, charter cities and other territorial experiments, alongside non-territorial governance, distributed communities and alternative dispute resolution. Articles use conceptual, qualitative, quantitative and case-study approaches to examine how these institutions are designed and how they operate.
The Journal’s Mission
The Journal of Special Jurisdictions furthers this area of governmental innovation by generating scholarly work to inform policymakers about special jurisdictions. Â The Journal maintains a non-partisanship approach to its topic, however, seeking only the universally acceptable goal of improving human communities.
Issue VI, with papers about: Theory, Practice & Stability of Special Jurisdictions (2025)
This issue examines the legal foundations, institutional design, and long-term governance of special jurisdictions within contemporary sovereign systems.
Issue V, with papers about: Constitutional, Economic, and Networked Perspectives on Special Jurisdictions (2024)
Studies of Honduran ZEDE constitutional questions, a proposed federated network-state model, and the economics of a potential Lithium Valley in Brazil.
Issue IV (2023): Market Institutions, Private Governance, and the Future of Special Jurisdictions
It covers topics ranging from policy sandboxes, complexity science, private cities in the metaverse, the future of citizenship, and zoning regulations.Â
Issue III, with papers about: Experimental Zones and Institutional Adaptation in the United States and a Fragmented World (2022)
Research on existing and potential special jurisdictions, including U.S. legal frameworks, the Catawba Digital Economic Zone, insurance markets and energy innovation.
Issue II, with papers about: The ZEDEs of Honduras, A Special Issue on Legal Innovation, Autonomy, and Controversy (2021)
Research on the history, legal design, governance and economic implications of Honduras’s Zones for Employment and Economic Development.
Issue I, with papers about: Foundations of Non-Territorial Governance, New Frontiers Beyond the Nation-State (2020)
This issue explores the relationship between non-territorial forms of governance, such as blockchain, the internet and distributed communities, and special jurisdictions, including Special Economic Zones and other forms of Startup Societies.
Editorial Management:​
- Tom W Bell, Chapman University (EE.UU) – Editor-in-Chief –Â Institutional Website
- Nathalie Mezza-Garcia, Warwick University (Colombia) – Managing Editor –Â Institutional Website
- Ryan Yonk, Utah State University (EE.UU) – Guest Editor –Â Institutional Website
- Joseph McKinney, University of Minnesota (EE.UU)Â – President –Â Institutional Website
Reviewers:
- Michael Batty, University College London (United Kingdom) – Urban Planning –Â Institutional Website
- Jeremy Jackson, North Dakota State University (EE.UU) – Economics –Â Institutional Website
- Parag Khanna, National University of Singapore (India ) – International Relations –Â Institutional Website
- Sock-Yong Phang, Singapore Management University (Singapore) – Economics –Â Institutional Website
- Bryan Druzin, Chinese University of Hong Kong (United Kingdom) – Law – Institutional Website
- Jim Coleman, University of Westminster (United Kingdom) – Economic –Â Institutional Website
- Jason Sorens, Dartmouth (EE.UU) – Political Science –Â Institutional Website
- Jason Potts, RMIT University (New Zealand) – Economics – Institutional Website
- Michael Castle Miller, American University Washington College of Law (EE.UU) – Law –Â Institutional Website
- Sanford Ikeda, Purchase College SUNY (EE.UU) – Economics – Institutional Website
- Robin Hanson, George Mason University (EE.UU) – Economics –Â Institutional Website
- Gary Chartier, La Sierra University (EE.UU) – Philosophy –Â Institutional Website
- David Friedman, Santa Clara University (EE.UU) – Economics –Â Institutional Website
- Alex Tabarrok, George Mason University (EE.UU) – Economics –Â Institutional Website
- Edward Stringham, Trinity College (EE.UU) – Economics –Â Institutional Website
- Alexander Fink, Leipzig University (Germany) – Political Economy – Institutional Website
- Robert Mogielnicki, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (EE.UU) – International Political Economy – Institutional Website
Support research and public education
Startup Societies Foundation advances research and public education on special jurisdictions, startup societies and experimental governance through publications, public resources and educational events.
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