Blue Economy Research
The Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law (IEGL) is partnered with the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre and has completed extensive research exploring the role of ethical and policy decision making in the Blue Economy.
Blue Economy Projects
Pre-conditions for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy in Australia
IEGL members are contributing to this project designed to build integrity, efficacy and good governance into Australia’s Burgeoning offshore wind power industry. IEGL is contributing specific expertise with respect to identifying key elements of social acceptability for offshore wind development and assisting industry to address an integrated integrity system approach to offshore wind projects.
Ethics, Values and Social Licence in the Blue Economy
Led by IEGL, this project explored the ethical values at stake in the Blue Economy. The outputs of this project help industry, governments and communities understand the role of ethical decision making and social licence to operate with respect to operational legitimacy.
Risks & Opportunities for the Blue Economy
IEGL members contributed to this project designed to deliver an integrative characterisation of risk across all parts of the CRC, with IEGL contributing particular expertise in the areas of sustainability and policy. This resulted in an interactive registry of hazards for the emerging offshore Blue Economy in Australia.
Integrating Blue Economy Governance Integrity Research
Led by IEGL, this scoping project laid the foundations for further research in the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre by examining ethics, values, integrity and governance in the Blue Economy. The outputs included definitions of ‘Blue Economy’ and ‘social licence to operate’, identification of Blue Economy values, preliminary mapping of integrity system elements and certification approaches, and the identification of key challenges in this space.
Research highlights
IEGL has produced a range of journal articles, chapters, practitioner summaries, conference papers and webinars connected to its Blue Economy research.
Practitioner Summary I: Blue Economy Ethical Values and Principles
Practitioner Summary II: Tasmanian Blue Economy Ethical Priorities and Principles
Practitioner Summary III: Offshore Ethical Risk
Practitioner Summary IV: Interim Social Licence to Operate
BE CRC Webinar: Ethics and Social Licence in the Blue Economy
Other highlights include:
Breakey, H. (2022). Ethics in the Blue Economy. In De Gruyter Handbook of Sustainable Development and Finance. T. Cadman and T. Sarker. Berlin, De Gruyter: 511-542.
Breakey, H. (ed) (2023). Social Licence and Ethical Practice. Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations, Vol. 26 Includes 5 scholarly articles on social licence, including an introduction by Hugh Breakey.
Breakey, H. (2023) 'The Social Licence to Operate: Activist weapon, industry shield, empty buzzword, or vital ethical tool?' in Social Licence and Ethical Practice, Hugh Breakey ed., Vol 26 Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations
Breakey, H. &Sampford, C. 2023 Ethical risk in the Offshore Blue Economy Integrity System (Conference paper) ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers 42nd International Conference on Ocean, Offshore & Arctic Engineering (OMAE2023) Melbourne, Australia. 14th June 2023.
Cooper, K., Breakey, H., Lewis, M., Marshallsay, R., Naraniecki, A., & Sampford, C. (2023). Aquaculture Ethics: A systematic quantitative review and critical analysis of aquaculture ethics scholarship. Fish and Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12729
Croft, F., Breakey, H., Voyer, M., Cisneros-Montemayor, A., Issifu, I., Solitei, M., et al. (2024). Rethinking blue economy governance – A blue economy equity model as an approach to operationalise equity. Environmental Science & Policy, 155, 103710, doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103710 .
Croft, F., Breakey, H., Voyer, M., Moyle, C., Solitei, M. C.-M., A., Issifu, I., et al. (2023). Defining Equity and Setting Equity Objectives for an Equitable Blue Economy: A report for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Wollongong, Australia: Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS).