Aims of the Journal

This new academic ejournal will focus on the integration of developing and newly industrialising countries as well as the so-called transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe into global economic, social and political processes. It will examine the implications of globalisation (in itself a contentious concept; this will be explored in the ejournal) for the countries concerned.

In particular, the ejournal will cover the impact of globalisation on legal developments in relation to human rights; social justice; democratisation; constitutionalism; national, ethnic and religious identities; social action; and economic liberalisation. It will give due attention to issues of gender justice, the concerns of indigenous peoples and poverty and social exclusion. In addition, it will examine the key roles of transnational corporations; financial institutions; multilateral institutions such as the UN, IMF, World Bank, and the GATT/WTO; states; and NGOs. A specific aim will be to engage with the dynamic between local, national, regional and global spheres of social action.

On current evidence of electronic journals such as JILT (Journal of Information Law and Technology), the pervasive nature of the world wide web provides a much greater international readership, who have access through web search facilities to material in the ejournal. Readers can browse the content of the ejournal electronically from their desks and, if appropriate, print paper copies for their perusal. An international readership also encourages an international authorship. The ease of electronic communication means that the processes of submission, refereeing, editing and publication can be much quicker and will ensure a faster publication of accepted manuscripts. Issues of immediate concern can be communicated through news pages on the journal.

The following will be the ejournal's distinctive contributions:

• it will be electronic and thus reach a much wider audience than is possible with traditional academic journals;
• it will contain rigorously refereed academic articles as well as practical commentaries from activists and legal practitioners;
• it will focus on developing, newly industrialising and Central and Eastern European countries;
• it will focus on legal issues within their social economic and political context.

The ejournal will provide an avenue for the growing academic debate in the area. It will contribute to the understanding of the opportunities and risks that are inherent in globalisation. It is envisaged that the ejournal will explore the possible strategies for developing, newly industrialising and the so-called transitional societies.

The journal will be instituted at a time when there is an increasing focus on law and governance in relation to developing, newly industrialising and the so-called transitional societies and on issues relating to globalisation among multilateral organisations such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the European Union and bilateral agencies as well as among activists in the developing world.

Content of the Journal

The journal is intended to be published three times a year and will carry:

• An academic refereed section with a minimum of five articles per issue; each article is to be refereed by at least two anonymous referees. A recommended length would be 5,000-10,000 words. This section would contain reflective, scholarly articles.
• A commentary section consisting of unrefereed articles (subject only to editorial approval), especially ones by activists and legal practitioners. It would also be used for publication of notes on cases, recent legislation and legislative proposals, policy papers, and current commercial events. The Commentary section could also be published on an on-going basis.
• A section including Cases and Legislative Notes, Primary Source Material, Book Reviews and Conference Reports.
• A Work In Progress section.
• A Conference Diary page
• A News section;
• A comments and conferencing facility. This section provide an opportunity for readers to: comment on articles, possibly setting up a debate with the author or other readers; provide information about any relevant, request information, contacts etc.

For more information, see About LGD and Submission Standards