Call for Papers: Towards International Resource Fairness - Theories, Conflicts and Policies

Apr 3, 2014 | Vienna University
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Natural resources, be they agrarian or mineral, have become a key issue in international politics in recent years. This is due to a number of factors, including the increasing demand for resources by emerging economies (e.g. China), the financialization of commodity markets, the drastic price increases and high price volatility of many commodities, the rising scarcity of critical resources and hence intensified competition for access and control of resources, as well as conflicts over their distribution.  

The geopolitical competition for resources begs the question of how to conceptualize “resource fairness”, i.e. how access to, and distribution and use of natural resources can be organized in a way that takes into account the legitimate interests of all actors and institutions involved – producers, consumers, affected communities and the general public, both spatially (i.e., at the local, national and international level), and across time (i.e., between the generations). In this context, far-reaching questions emerge with regard to the current modes of production and living, and their transformation, the existing manner for dealing with conflicts around natural resources, how discourses on resources and associated problems are framed, and how processes towards greater fairness can eventually be designed.

The purpose of the conference is to analyse prevailing natural resource politics, policies and arrangements, as well as the problems associated with specific resource extraction, production, consumption and disposal patterns at various scales, as well as associated conflicts. In addition, proposals for resource fairness at different levels are to be elaborated, based on the assumption that cooperative solutions will only be possible if the interests of all stakeholders are taken into account. This will require a shared vision about the relevant normative concepts of fairness and justice with regard to resources. The conference aims to combine theoretical inputs with concrete case studies on resource conflicts.