Call for Papers: 2027 Law and Development Conference, "Twenty Years of Law and Development Review" (Sydney, Jun 16-17)

The Law and Development Institute (LDI) and the University of Sydney Law School, through its Centre for Asian and Pacific Law (CAPLUS), will co-host the 2027 Law and Development Conference in Sydney, Australia, on June 16-17, 2027. The theme is "Twenty Years of Law and Development Review: Advancing Law and Development Scholarship."

The Law and Development Institute is an international network and centre for law and development studies, led by Professor Yong-Shik Lee (Director and Professorial Fellow, degrees from UC Berkeley and Cambridge). LDI publishes the Law and Development Review (LDR), a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated exclusively to law and development studies, in publication since 2008. LDI has organised the Law and Development Conference series since its inaugural edition in 2010, drawing scholars and professionals from leading universities worldwide. The 2027 conference returns to Sydney seventeen years after the series began there, marking both a homecoming and the twentieth year of LDR.

The 2027 Conference will examine the following sub-topics:

• Artificial Intelligence, Law, and Development
• Law and Environmental Sustainability
• Law, Governance, and Development
• Law and Development under Geopolitical Competition
• Law, Development, and Small and Vulnerable States
• Law and Development Education and Rising Issues in Law and Development

Interested speakers should submit a one-page paper abstract, indicating the relevant sub-topic from the list above. Abstracts, papers, and presentations are expected in the English language.

All conference papers will be uploaded to the conference website and made accessible to the general public, with an appropriate copyright notice attached. Selected papers will be published in a Law and Development Review Special Issue in 2028, and authors of selected papers are expected to publish their conference papers in that special issue.

All speakers and participants are expected to register for the conference and make their own travel arrangements. In principle, no financial support is available, but a reduced registration fee could be charged to speakers from developing countries and student participants.

Submit your one-page abstract, indicating your chosen sub-topic, along with any conference inquiries, to the Law and Development Institute (Professor Y.S. Lee) by email at info@lawanddevelopment.net.

• One-page paper abstract prepared, in English
• Relevant sub-topic clearly indicated in the submission
• Abstract emailed to info@lawanddevelopment.net by December 15, 2026