Cross-Border Ocean Governance: Institutional Coherence, Policy Alignment and Synergistic Implementation in the Context of Global Blue Economy

This Research Topic focuses on cross-border ocean governance linkages—beyond national blue economy plans—by examining how institutional coherence, policy alignment, and implementation mechanisms can enable sustainable, equitable, and effective stewardship of transboundary marine resources.

The global blue economy underpins the livelihoods of over three billion people, supports marine biodiversity, and plays a key role in climate regulation through carbon sequestration and ocean ecosystems. Yet the ocean’s cross-jurisdictional mobility—combined with fragmented governance frameworks, conflicting national policies, and disjointed implementation—creates major barriers to effective cross-border stewardship. As transboundary threats intensify (e.g., marine plastic pollution, overfishing, ocean acidification, and climate-induced sea-level rise), misalignment between regional and global institutions and inconsistent policy objectives continue to undermine governance effectiveness.

The central challenge this Research Topic addresses is the fragmentation of cross-border ocean governance systems, including inconsistent institutional mandates, misaligned national policies, and weak coordination in implementation. Our goal is to diagnose these systemic barriers and synthesize actionable solutions that strengthen (i) institutional coherence, (ii) policy alignment, and (iii) synergistic implementation across jurisdictions. To achieve this, we will convene interdisciplinary researchers, coastal state policymakers, international organization representatives, and blue economy stakeholders to share empirical evidence, comparative insights, case studies of cross-border collaborations, and policy design frameworks. This collection aims to generate a unified body of knowledge that can inform global, regional, and national governance reforms, enabling the blue economy to thrive while safeguarding ocean health and cross-border resource sustainability.

We welcome contributions addressing, among others:
- Design of cross-jurisdictional institutional collaboration and coordination mechanisms
- Alignment of national ocean/blue economy policies with regional and global governance frameworks
- Practical solutions for coordinated implementation of blue economy initiatives across jurisdictions (e.g., financing, monitoring, enforcement, data-sharing, capacity-building)
- Lessons from successful (or failed) transboundary ocean governance cases

Manuscripts of interest include empirical research, comparative case studies, policy analysis, and conceptual or methodological frameworks that bridge governance theory and practical application. We encourage interdisciplinary perspectives (e.g., international law, environmental policy, political science, economics, marine social sciences, and governance-oriented marine science) to advance actionable insights for sustainable cross-border ocean stewardship.

Submissions should include a clear governance/policy/legal/institutional component; manuscripts that are purely biophysical/ecological without a governance or policy dimension are out of scope.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Cross-Border, Ocean governance, Institutional Coherence, Policy Alignment, Synergistic Implementation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.