Description du sujet de thèse

The PhD project focuses on the governance of Global Environmental Commons (GEC), specifically on the deep-sea mining of seabed areas beyond national jurisdictions. In the context of the energy transition, deep-sea mining has attracted significant attention due to the critical metals these regions contain, which are essential for low-carbon technologies. Today, this governance is characterized by a fundamental opposition between those advocating for a complete ban on deep-sea mining and those seeking to capitalize on the available resources. This thesis aims to decipher this opposition by analyzing emerging geopolitical tensions and paradoxes: why do some states choose to forgo deep-sea mining despite a strong dependence on these resources? And why, despite diplomatic tensions, increasing militarization, and territorial rivalries, do deep seabed areas remain relatively low-conflict zones? The PhD candidate will draw on the existing literature, which so far has largely focused on three main hypotheses to understand what drives this “conflictualization” in these globalized spaces: A socioconstructivist approach, which posits that the evolution of environmental norms shapes cooperation and redefines power dynamics; A neorealist perspective, which explains current governance through interstate rivalries and asymmetric strategic interests; A liberal institutionalist perspective, which emphasizes the role of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in arbitrating between exploitation and conservation. While the latter two hypotheses have been extensively studied, the body of research supporting the first is still in its early stages. This thesis project therefore aims to extend the first hypothesis, drawing on the insights of socioconstructivism and Elinor Ostrom's commons theory as applied to global commons, with a particular focus on deep-sea governance. The chosen methodology will primarily be qualitative, combining ethnographic fieldwork, participant and direct observations, semi-structured interviews, and discourse/document analysis within the international institutions where negotiation and decision-making occur, such as the ISA or relevant United Nations forums. This research aims to shed light on the emerging conflictualization of the deep seabed and, in doing so, contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the ongoing dynamics in the international governance of GEC.

Contexte de travail

The PhD candidate will be affiliated with the CNRS research group on oceans and seas (GDR OMER). The thesis will be jointly supervised. It will be directed by Carola Kloeck, Assistant Professor in International Environmental Relations at the Centre de Recherches Internationales (CERI) at Sciences Po Paris, and co-supervised by Mélanie Albaret, Professor of International Relations at the Centre Michel de l'Hospital at the Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA). Given this supervision arrangement, the PhD candidate will be enrolled in the doctoral program at Sciences Po Paris within the CERI. Therefore, the candidate must have already applied to the Sciences Po Paris doctoral program and been accepted (see eligibility criteria, process, and admission timeline on the Sciences Po School of Research website: https://www.sciencespo.fr/ecole-recherche/fr/admissions/doctorat/).

Contraintes et risques

The PhD candidate will be required to register with the GDR OMER and actively engage in its activities, including annual meetings and online GDR OMER events. The thesis will also involve international travel, particularly to attend United Nations forums on ocean and/or deep-sea governance, as well as to Kingston, Jamaica, where the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is headquartered.