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 of Special Jurisdictions is the only active academic journal focused on Special Economic Zones and other special jurisdictions. It publishes original papers on the theory, history, regulations and development of special jurisdictions. Submissions can be conceptual, qualitative, case studies, quantitative or exploratory.

Worldwide, there are about 5,400 Zones spanning 130 countries. This number continues to grow. SEZs  are one of the most consistently used tools for economic development and have become a mainstay for national policy. Special jurisdictions are not limited to SEZs. These include Charter Cities, indigenous tribes, and private communities. Additionally, they include non-territorial systems, such as alternative dispute resolution systems and online or Distributed Ledger Platforms.

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.  The Journal maintains a non-partisanship approach to its topic, however, seeking only the universally acceptable goal of improving human communities.

Issue V, with papers about: Constitutional, Economic, and Networked Perspectives on Special Jurisdictions (2024)

Academic papers investigating future Startup Society trajectories: pop-up cities and network states.

Issue IV, In collaboration with the American Institute for Economic Research, AIER. With papers about: Market Institutions, Private Governance, and the Future of Special Jurisdictions (2023)

It covers topics ranging from policy sandboxes, complexity science, private cities in the metaverse, the future of citizenship, and zoning regulations. 

Issue III, with papers about: Experimental Zones and Institutional Adaptation in the United States and a Fragmented World (2022)

This issue is dedicated to the study of existing and potentional special jurisidictions in the United States.

Issue II, with papers about: The ZEDEs of Honduras, A Special Issue on Legal Innovation, Autonomy, and Controversy (2021)

This issue explores the history, theory, practice, and implications of the Zones for Employement 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.

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