Call For Papers
AAG 2017 Boston (April 5-8, 2017)
Session title: Cross-Border Co-operation in West Africa
Organizers: Olivier Walther, University of Southern Denmark and Rutgers University; Marie Trémolières, OECD
Session description: West Africa is subdivided by 32 000 kilometres of land borders which, if placed end-to-end, would almost circle the Earth. Most of these territorial divisions are the legacy of colonisation and were long considered to be obstacles to regional integration. West African borders are often criticised for the costs and time delays related to border crossing, as well as for obstructing the free movement of traders and individuals and encouraging corruption. This session adopts a different approach to West African borders. Its aim is to discuss how cross-border co-operation contributes to the regional integration process. Building on an ongoing research project that examines the current challenges of cross-border co-operation in the region, we are particularly interested to understand more about the economic potential of West African regions, the structure of cross-border policy networks, the spatial perceptions of the region’s policy makers, and the place-based policies that could be developed in the region. The session’s geographical and relational approach to cross-border co-operation is different from the more commonplace analyses of West Africa which describe the legislative and institutional principles of co-operation, without necessarily considering the geographic dimension of the spaces and actors involved. For the most part, this aspect of CBC is still relatively unknown.
The session will capitalise upon recent geographical scholarship on cross-border co-operation to explore themes such as:
- micro-regions and regional integration
- borders and policy networks
- spatially-blind vs. place-based policies
- economic development in border regions
- emergent policy approaches to cross-border cooperation
- innovative methodologies for studying CBC (network analysis, mental maps)
We invite papers on these or related topics. Please send proposed titles and abstracts (250 words or less) and/or expressions of interest to both Olivier Walther (olivier.walther@rutgers.edu) and Marie Trémolières (marie.tremolieres@oecd.org) no later than 15 October 2016.
We will notify contributors of acceptance by 20 October 2016. All accepted contributors will then need to register for the conference through the AAG website, and should then send the registration code (PIN) they receive to us. Please note that you must submit your abstract AND also pay the registration fees in order for your PIN to be activated.