DoctorPascale Hatcher

Associate Professor

Political Science and International Relations

  • Associate Professor
    Political Science and International Relations
  • +6433694645 (Work)
  • Elsie Locke Building 610B

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research focuses on the political economy of extractive industries in the developing world with an emphasis on how transnational norms for the sector are being domesticated.

My current work looks at the development of deep sea mining in the Pacific and its impact on Pacific Island Countries. Summary: The world’s first Deep Sea Mining (DSM) operation begins next year in the Pacific. While economically appealing for the Pacific Island Countries (PICs), the prospect is divisive. The future of DSM will play out in the adoption of DSM-specific governance regimes in the PICs which could leave these countries environments and societies vulnerable to foreign-led exploitive extractivism. This project merges digital and fieldwork methods to map and analyse the actors and controversies contributing to DSM debates, how these influence the development of DSM governance in the PICs and what lessons can be drawn for local communities and international stakeholders.