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Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

Great Lakes Natural Resource Governance

Call for Papers - open until December 1, 2012
See details and deadlines below or download .pdf here


The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law is hosting a day-long symposium on Great Lakes Natural Resource Governance at the Law School in Indianapolis on March 1, 2013.

The symposium is co-hosted by the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review (II&CLR), the school’s Environmental Law Society (ELS) and the IU Environmental Policy Forum (EPF).  It will feature presentations by expert participants, including legal scholars, government officials, policymakers, lawyers, and Great Lakes stakeholders on a range of topics relating to governance mechanisms for managing and conserving Great Lakes resources.

Purpose of the Symposium

The Great Lakes comprise the largest surface freshwater system on earth, and their governance has for more than 100 years been subject of a complex and careful orchestration of resources through a series of legal and institutional arrangements among the two countries, eight states, and one province that border the lakes and comprise their watershed.  These legal frameworks have been constantly tested and periodically updated to respond to evolving uses, changing values, and new challenges to the conservation and management of the Great Lakes.  The most recent new agreements among the littoral states designed to assure sustainable use and protect the lakes from extra-basin transfers – the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact – became effective in 2008, and are only now being tested for the first time.  More recently, in September of 2012, the cornerstone Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, first signed in 1972, was amended to facilitate greater transboundary action to “address aquatic invasive species, habitat degradation and the effects of climate change, and support continued work on existing threats to people’s health and the environment in the Great Lakes Basin such as harmful algae, toxic chemicals, and discharges from vessels.”(1)

IU’s Great Lakes Natural Resource Governance symposium is designed to provide a forum for scholars, experts, government officials, and practitioners to exchange ideas and advance understanding of the vast array of issues related to governance of the Great Lakes and other transboundary waters.  It will also afford scholars and experts working on specific Great Lakes Resource issues to engage with one another on those issues at a high level of detail so that they may advance their research and scholarly agendas and strengthen networks. 

There are too few opportunities for interaction and knowledge exchange among scholars and policymakers on these matters.  The symposium organizers therefore hope to bring both academic and practical perspectives to the table, and to promote knowledge sharing on the effectiveness of institutions governance structures addressing Great Lakes governance.

Taking into account the above considerations, the symposium aims to take stock of existing knowledge and research concerning the interface of institutions, stakeholder engagement, and effective decision-making and action to address governance of large bodies of water as well as the below listed conference themes.  The conference also seeks to identify research gaps and develop a research agenda to advance institutional analysis.

Although the main focus is on Great Lakes Resources, the symposium organizers also value a comparative perspective.  We welcome proposals from water law and policy experts and scholars whose work addresses governance issues relating to transboundary watersheds in general, or to specific water resources in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and elsewhere around the world. 

Scholarly and Policy Papers at the Conference

The symposium will consist of plenary presentations and panels where participants will present papers and works in progress.  All presenters will have an opportunity to publish their work in a special symposium issue of Volume XXIV of the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review.

A first call for papers has resulted in submission of a number of strong paper proposals, and the symposium hosts are extending the deadlines to reach an even broader audience of scholars and practitioners.

The symposium is designed to provide a forum for scholars, experts, government officials, and practitioners to exchange ideas and advance understanding of the vast array of issues related to governance of the Great Lakes and other transboundary waters. 

Potential Topics

The main focus is on the Great Lakes watershed, but we encourage submissions on all relevant topics (invasives, water conservation, energy development, riparian rights, transboundary governance, etc.) that offer comparative perspectives. Funds are available to support participant travel, and the Review will work with authors to publish completed papers in a symposium edition. The symposium will consist of plenary presentations and panels where participants will present papers and works in progress. Presenters will have an opportunity to publish their work in a special symposium issue of Volume XXIV of the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review. Submissions are invited on any relevant legal or policy topic, including:

  • Transboundary Waters Governance
  • Energy Development
  • US – Canada Relations (including Great Lakes Treaties)
  • Invasive Species
  • Agricultural Impacts
  • Coastal Urban Development
  • Fisheries Management
  • Littoral – Riparian Rights
  • Transbasin Water Diversions
  • Transboundary Institutions
  • Water Conservation & Quality
  • Water Rights

Submission Requirements

The symposium will be organized around the presentation of papers.  These may be scholarly or policy-oriented, and they may be written for a legal or interdisciplinary audience.  Papers do not need to be complete and final by the time of the symposium, and authors are invited to present advanced drafts that might benefit from the insights and comments of other symposium participants.  All final papers, and drafts that are completed following the symposium, will be eligible for publication in the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review subject to the editors’ final review and approval.

A notice of interest with a proposed paper topic must be submitted by December 1, 2012.  The notice of interest should be a brief (250-500 word) statement that includes the author’s research question and thesis and a short outline of what the author hopes to address in his or her paper.  More advanced submissions, including detailed abstracts and draft papers are also welcomed, but only a notice of interest is required at this point.  Submissions should be accompanied by a brief biography of the author, or a curriculum vitae or resume.  Submissions should be made to enlaw@iu.edu.  If selected, the author will be notified by symposium staff.  

A final abstract of the proposed paper will be due by December 10, 2012 and should consist of 400-500 words. A working draft of the paper that would be acceptable to present at the symposium is due no later than February 15, 2012.  The facilitators will distribute the selected papers to invited participants in advance of the conference.  Abstracts and completed papers must be in written, typed English. The authors may use whatever citation format is generally accepted in their respective disciplines. 

Address questions and abstracts to enlaw@iu.edu.  Put “symposium” in the subject line.  We look forward to reviewing your submissions.

Submission Deadlines

Notice of Interest Deadline: December 1, 2012
Abstract (Final) Submission Deadline: December 10, 2012
Symposium Paper Final (or Final Draft) Submission Deadline: February 15, 2013
Symposium: March 1, 2013

Papers submitted in final format by the time of the symposium will be eligible for publication in the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review subject to the editors’ final review and approval.  Papers that are still in draft at the time of the symposium may be completed and submitted for consideration by the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review on or before May 15, 2013.

Travel Funding

Travel funding is available to cover air fare and lodging costs for persons presenting at the conference.   Because funds are limited, they will be available only upon request to invited presenters on the basis of need.  Please include a request for travel funding support when sending your Notice of Interest.

Contact Information

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Environmental & Natural Resources Law Program
http://indylaw.indiana.edu/programs/enr/
enlaw@iu.edu • (317) 274-3100

Planning Committee

Anne Kaiser, Editor-in-Chief, Indiana International & Comparative Law Review
Morgan Whitacre, Executive Symposium Editor, Indiana International & Comparative Law Review
Michael Blackwell, President, Environmental Law Society
Jessica Topor, Symposium Chairperson, Environmental Law Society
Eric Dannenmaier, Professor of Law and Director, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program


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