We are delighted to invite submissions for book chapters in the “Geographies of the Anthropocene” series. This volume (8, n. 1, 2025), titled “Special Economic Zones: Challenges and Opportunities for Territorial Development” (Language: English), will be edited by Michele Pigliucci (Università degli Studi “Link”, Roma).

This volume (8, n. 1, 2025), titled “Special Economic Zones: Challenges and Opportunities for Territorial Development” (Language: English), will be edited by Michele Pigliucci (Università degli Studi “Link”, Roma).

Scope

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are geographically defined areas where governments establish special administrative, fiscal, or bureaucratic frameworks to facilitate industrial activity and attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). SEZs are increasingly recognized as effective tools for enhancing the attractiveness of underdeveloped regions by fostering investment and boosting employment.

One of the main advantages of SEZs is that they can improve competitiveness without significant cost to the country, addressing the challenges of regions that may lack appeal due to geographical or historical disadvantages. Today, there are thousands of SEZs worldwide, particularly in Asia, which have proven valuable in achieving regional development goals. There are various types of SEZs, differing in scope, governance models, territorial integration, and the nature of their benefits.

However, SEZs are not a guaranteed solution for regional development. Their success depends on multiple factors, including infrastructure planning, the choice and duration of incentives, and the precise identification of targeted areas. Poorly planned SEZs can potentially diminish the attractiveness of the surrounding areas and may even intensify internal disparities.

The establishment of SEZs often creates a hierarchy between "first-tier" areas, which benefit directly from SEZ incentives, and "second-tier" surrounding areas, which risk losing competitiveness. Conversely, when effectively designed and implemented, SEZs can greatly enhance regional competitiveness and serve as a rapidly growing tool for the development of lagging regions.

This volume seeks to gather theoretical and practical insights into the effectiveness of SEZs for territorial development. We invite contributions that explore empirical, theoretical, and methodological perspectives on how different SEZ structures lead to varied development outcomes. Authors are encouraged to consider case studies that identify key challenges in SEZ design and demonstrate how SEZs can create unique opportunities for growth.

The book welcomes contributions from multiple disciplines, including specific case-study analyses.

Topics of Interest : 

• Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Governance models of SEZs
• Territorial development and SEZs
• SEZ-related inter-territorial conflicts
• Territorial Impact Assessment of SEZs
• Case studies on successful and unsuccessful SEZs
• Metrics and performance indicators for SEZ effectiveness
• Environmental and social sustainability in SEZs
• Comparative analysis of SEZ types across regions and countries
• Innovation and technology transfer in SEZs
• Challenges and best practices in SEZ policy design
• Place-evidence and territorialisation of SEZ

Important dates

• December 15, 2024: Book Chapter Proposal deadline

• December 31, 2024: Acceptance/Rejection Notification

• February 15, 2025: Full Chapter Submission
• March 15, 2025: review notification 
• April 15, 2025: Final version chapter submission
• May/June 2025: Final e-book version available

Submission Procedure

Interested authors should submit their proposals (max 500 words) explaining the main topic and the objectives of the chapter.

by December 15, 2024.

The manuscript proposals (Word or PDF) must be sent to the following address: geographiesofanthropocene@gmail.com 

Acceptance/Rejection notification will be sent to the authors by December 31, 2024. After the acceptance notification, authors should submit full chapters by February 15, 2025 formatting their manuscripts following the Editor’s guidelines.

The manuscript word count must be between 4500 - 6000 words. This includes tables, illustrations, references, etc. All submissions will be reviewed in a double-blind manner. 

About the Book Series Geographies of the Anthropocene 

The book series “Geographies of the Anthropocene” edited by the publisher “Il Sileno Edizioni” will discuss the new processes of the Anthropocene epoch through the various worldviews of geoscientists and humanists, intersecting disciplines of Geosciences, Geography, Geoethics, Philosophy, SocioAnthropology, Sociology of Environment and Territory, Psychology, Economics, Environmental Humanities and cognate disciplines. 

Geoethics focuses on how scientists (natural and social), arts and humanities scholars working in tandem can become more aware of their ethical responsibilities to guide society on matters related to public safety in the face of natural hazards, sustainable use of resources, climate change and protection of the environment. Furthermore, the integrated and multiple perspectives of the Environmental Humanities, can help to more fully understand the cultures of, and the cultures which frame the Anthropocene. Indeed, the focus of Geoethics and Environmental Humanities research, that is, the analysis of the way humans think and act for the purpose of advising and suggesting appropriate behaviors where human activities interact with the geosphere, is dialectically linked to the complex concept of Anthropocene.

The book series “Geographies of the Anthropocene” publishes online volumes, both collective volumes and monographs, which are set in the perspective of providing reflections, work materials and experimentation in the fields of research and education about the new geographies of the Anthropocene.

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