Taskforce on Ocean Governance

Theory

The goal of the theory section of the ESG Oceans Taskforce is to advance global environmental ocean theory. This section will discuss and organize working groups that think about both meta and instrumental/explanatory theoretical propositions that intersect with coastal and marine research questions, particularly as they relate to the Earth Systems Governance science agenda.  Meta-theoretical concerns can deal with theory-about-theory issues, frameworks, and epistemological questions. Explanatory theory provides potential answers to specific questions of cause and effect, meaning, and context that, for example, under-gird hypothesis testing. In this section, there is no preferred theoretical position, but rather a quest for robust social scientific understanding of environmental change and governance in coastal and marine environments. What is the best way to understand overfishing? Why is there a global marine extinction event? How does power move and govern coastal areas or economic extraction of the oceans? What is the effect of choosing a framework to understand whaling governance? The general purpose of this section is to discuss ideas and approaches to understanding elements of ocean governance. Given this goal, there will probably be some good overlap with work being done with the ESG-wide Conceptual Foundations Taskforce.

If you’d like to join the cluster, please click here to become a member. This will allow you to post information on the page and give you the opportunity to receive information and updates via the Oceans Taskforce listserve. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the cluster leader, Peter Jacques (e-mail address below).

While we do not have funding ourselves, we do hope to foster joint projects via Working Groups, which would bring together cluster members to write grant proposals, put together collected volumes/special issues, or develop webinars, workshops, syllabi, or similar products. All projects should focus on the cluster topic and fit within the ESG Science Plan (http://www.earthsystemgovernance.org/research-agenda/). Working group members should come from more than one institution and should have sufficient expertise to accomplish project goals. Forming a working group can help you to expand your professional network. It will also provide mentoring from the cluster leaders and access to logistical support like web-conferencing from ESG headquarters. To submit a Working Group proposal, please fill out this form and send it to the cluster leader(s) listed below. If you’d like to propose a Working Group that fits in more than one cluster, please send it to the leaders of each cluster in a single e-mail. Scroll down for descriptions of active Working Groups.

Cluster Leader:

Peter Jacques
University of Central Florida, USA
Peter.Jacques@ucf.edu

Active Working Groups: