Call for Papers: 2013 Law and Development Conference

Call for Papers: 2013 Law and Development Conference
“Legal and Development Implications of International Land Acquisitions”
Kyoto, Japan, 30-31 May 2013

Jointly organized by

Law and Development Institute, University of Manchester and
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University

Rationale and Purpose of the Conference

The dramatic rise of large-scale international land acquisitions and leases targeting developing countries in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia as well as parts of Eastern Europe has become a global issue of concern since the late 2000s. While much debate and analysis have focused on the social and environmental impacts of the ‘land grabbing’ phenomenon, the legal and development implications still remain understudied.

The purpose of this conference is to look at large-scale international land acquisitions from a ‘law and development’ perspective and determine the various legal frameworks at international, national and local level that enable or constrain such processes.

We welcome contributions from scholars and practitioners in all relevant fields, including critical legal studies, legal anthropology, development studies, international and comparative law, history of law, human rights studies, resource governance, legal cultural studies, and political economy.

Keynote Speaker

Liz Alden Wily, Independent Land Tenure Specialist, Nairobi

Conference Themes

Competing Frameworks and Perspectives on Land Property: What is the relationship between customary land rights and national land tenure legislation? What is the role of legal pluralism and legal culture in international land acquisition processes?

Land Grabbing in a Human Rights Perspective: Which international and national human rights laws, norms and conventions may be violated by international land acquisitions? How are indigenous rights secured or undermined in the countries targeted by foreign investors?

Land Acquisitions and International Investment Law: How are the rights and responsibilities of foreign investors addressed in international investment law? What is the role and potential leverage of voluntary guidelines for the responsible governance of land, water & forest tenure?

Repercussions of Land Acquisitions on Legal Frameworks: How do international land acquisitions and leases challenge and transform customary norms and regulations of resource access, national tenure legislation, and international legal and development frameworks?

International Land Acquisitions and Economic Development: How do various forms of international land acquisitions affect the economic development of the host developing countries? What are the proper forms and objectives of international land acquisitions that may contribute to sustainable development?

Important Deadlines

Abstract Submission: 15 November 2012
Notification of Acceptance: 1 January 2013
Full Paper Submission: 1 April 2013

Publications Envisaged

Selected papers will be published in a 2013 “Law and Development Review” Special Issue.
Please submit your abstract to Law and Development Institute by email at info@lawanddevelopment.net with cc to Andreas Neef (neef.andreas.4n@kyoto-u.ac.jp) and send all questions regarding the conference to Andreas Neef (neef.andreas.4n@kyoto-u.ac.jp) or Y.S. Lee (wtogeneva@hotmail.com).