Researchers working in technology law, AI governance, data protection, environmental law, constitutional law, international law, public policy, and digital regulation are invited to submit abstracts for a forthcoming special issue on “The Contested Governance of Data Centres.”
The special issue, edited by Prof. Alberto Alemanno (HEC Paris) and Prof. Kristina Irion (University of Amsterdam), examines the legal, political, environmental, and governance challenges arising from the rapid global expansion of data centres driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure.
📚 Suggested Themes
Authors may contribute on topics including, but not limited to:
⚖️ Material Footprints, Energy & Planning
- Environmental impact of data centres (energy, water, emissions and land use)
- Carbon emissions, cooling technologies and waste heat
- Grid access, electricity demand and renewable energy
- Environmental impact assessments and planning law
- Critical minerals, circular economy and e-waste
- Sustainability reporting and disclosure obligations
🌍 Political Economy, Ownership & Geopolitics
- Digital sovereignty and strategic autonomy
- Competition among states to attract data centres
- Market concentration and hyperscalers
- CLOUD Act, data localisation and cross-border data governance
- AI infrastructure and foreign investment
- Space-based data centres and international law
📑 Transparency, Standards & Liability
- Environmental disclosure and freedom of information
- Regulatory capture
- Private sustainability standards
- Liability for environmental and public harms
- Accountability of data centre operators
🏛 Democratic Governance & Public Participation
- Public resistance to data centres
- Community participation and environmental justice
- AI and sustainability
- Local moratoria and zoning regulations
- Adaptive governance and regulatory reforms
- Media narratives and political responses
👩⚖️ Who Should Apply?
The editors particularly encourage submissions from:
- Early-career researchers
- PhD candidates
- Postdoctoral researchers
- Academics and practitioners
Interdisciplinary contributions are welcome from:
- Law
- Public Policy
- Political Science
- Economics
- Geography
- Environmental Studies
- Science and Technology Studies
📝 Submission Details
- Abstract Length: Up to 500 words
- Abstract should clearly explain:
- Research question
- Theoretical and/or methodological approach
- Main argument
- Empirical material or case studies (where applicable)
📅 Important Dates
- Abstract Submission Deadline: 1 October
- Notification of Acceptance: 15 October
- Full Paper Submission: 15 January
- Expected Publication: Autumn 2027
📄 Full papers should be 8,000–10,000 words (including footnotes) and will undergo double-blind peer review in accordance with the European Journal of Risk Regulation (EJRR) author guidelines.
This call is particularly relevant for researchers working on AI governance, digital infrastructure, platform regulation, environmental sustainability, data governance, cloud computing, privacy, and technology law.
