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.
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Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025): Theory, Practice & Stability
Published:
2025-12-31
Issue VI of the Journal of Special Jurisdictions examines how special jurisdictions are defined, structured, and sustained within contemporary legal and governance systems. The contributions in this issue move beyond descriptive accounts of special economic zones to address deeper institutional questions, including the legal foundations of special jurisdictions, the design of autonomy within sovereign frameworks, the practical conditions of jurisdictional access, and the challenges of long-term institutional stability.
Across theoretical, legal, and applied perspectives, the issue highlights several shared themes. Special jurisdictions are treated as deliberately constructed institutional forms rather than exceptional policy instruments. Autonomy is analyzed as a bounded and multidimensional arrangement that depends on legal clarity, accountability, and reference mechanisms to host states. The papers also reflect a growing emphasis on usability, coordination, and replication across jurisdictions, alongside a concern for durability and legitimacy over time. Together, the contributions present a coherent view of special jurisdictions as an evolving field of study focused on institutional design, governance capacity, and real-world implementation.
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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 published annually. Established to advance knowledge of Special Economic Zones and other special jurisdictions. 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 4,000 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 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.
