Drivers and mechanisms of change in UNCLOS: an international relations research agenda

Elizabeth Mendenhall

Chapter 12 in A Research Agenda for Sustainable Ocean Governance, 2025, pp 135-148 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The contemporary ocean governance regime, also described as the “law of the sea,” is intended to shape the behavior of states in directions that achieve shared goals such as sustainability, equity, and environmental protection. However, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which serves as the framework institution for ocean governance, is ill-prepared to address the challenges of the 21st-century ocean. The drivers and mechanisms of change in UNCLOS are therefore an important topic for academic research. This chapter identifies important gaps in UNCLOS scholarship, and ways that international relations concepts and theories could be usefully applied to UNCLOS research. I find that contemporary UNCLOS scholarship is dominated by international lawyers, and particularly weak in the United States. Important research questions relate to the nature and boundaries of the ocean governance regime, the relationship between information and institutional development, the credibility and persistence of the UNCLOS dispute settlement system, and the multiple forums where regime development takes place. Pursuing this research agenda can support better ocean governance by outlining what is necessary and what is possible in contemporary international politics.

Keywords: UNCLOS; Ocean Governance; Law of the Sea; International Relations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035325740
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