2025 Law and Development Conference: Call for Papers

Call for Papers: 2025 Law and Development Conference  

“Law and Economic Development”

Honolulu, Hawai‘i, December 5-6, 2025

The Law and Development Institute (www.lawanddevelopment.net) and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, William S. Richardson School of Law will co-host the 2025 Law and Development Conference.

Law has a significant impact on economic development, which in turn enhances growth, industrial competitiveness, and sustainability. But there is no consensus on the optimal set of laws and legal institutions to promote economic development and channel it toward positive impacts. In particular, there is a range of views on whether government regulations hinder or facilitate development, and what types of interventions are likely to be effective. The conference will explore how both international and domestic legal frameworks contribute to development, with a particular emphasis on sustainability concerns. The following sub-topics will be examined:

• • Sustainable Development, Law, and Environmental Protection
  • Law and Industrial Diversification
  • Trade Law and Development
  • International Investment Law and Development
  • Property Law and Sustainability
  • Rising Issues in Law and Development

We ask all interested speakers to submit one-page paper abstracts by May 1, 2025. (Please indicate the relevant sub-topic in your submission.) We expect abstracts, papers, and presentations in the English language.

Important Deadlines

• • Abstract Submission: May 1, 2025
  • Notification of Acceptance: June 1, 2025
  • Final Selection of Speakers: June 15, 2025
  • Full Papers Due: November 1, 2025

Please note that all conference papers will be uploaded on the conference website and will be accessible by the general public (with the attachment of appropriate copyright notice).

Selected papers will be published in a Law and Development Review Special Issue in 2026.

We expect all authors to publish their conference papers, if selected, in the 2026 LDR Special Issue.

All speakers and participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements during the conference. No financial support is available.

Please submit your abstract and conference inquiries to the  Law and Development Institute (Professor Y.S. Lee) by email at info@lawanddevelopment.net