The general theme of the Conference is “Toward Ecological and Economic Justice in a Transitional Era: The Role of Law in Maintaining Balance.” The Transitional Era refers to the fundamental and multifaceted transformation that humanity is currently undergoing within the social, economic, and technological dimensions. The transitional era represents a shift between the so-called traditional era to the modern era. Today, we are undergoing another major transition, from the analogue world into the digital, and this process has affected the way we live, communicate, learn, work, and even govern. Similar to the Industrial Revolution, this transition has reshaped modern societies with commensurate inequality.

However, the existing regulatory framework often fails to anticipate new complexities arising from evolving economic models and environmental governance in the transition era. Many regulations remain primarily growth-oriented without considering long-term impacts on the environment and social wellbeing. In addition, changes brought by the climate crisis challenges the role of regulatory instruments. Current economic practices, such as excessive exploitation of natural resources in pursuit of capitalist demands, further prevent the attainment of ecological justice for communities all over the globe. Among the adverse effects is the widening disparities of economic welfare, in which the distribution of resources remains highly unequal despite the increasing integration of the global economy. The richest 1% of the world population, as revealed by the Global Wealth Report, controls almost 50% of combined global wealth, and this top-percentile produces the same amount of carbon emission as the poorest 66%. As a result, the poorest of the world, particularly in the developing countries, are disproportionately affected by these unrestrained economic exploits in the climate crisis. Thus, law should balance development needs with ecological protection and to ensure that economic progress is enjoyed more equitably by all segments of society.

Covid–19 also demonstrated how democracy is imperfectly organized (IDEA, 2021). In the name of the need for emergency action, community involvement is often neglected in the formation of policies. Freedom of expression was the aspect of democracy most at risk prior to the outbreak of the pandemic (IDEA, 2021), as well as the increase in the potential for authoritarianism (Leach, et al., 2021).

We invite postgraduate students, early-career researchers, as well as academics and practitioners around the world who are interested in discussing “Toward Ecological and Economic Justice in a Transitional Era: The Role of Law in Maintaining Balance.” The Third International Postgraduate Students Conference provides an extensive opportunity for scholars to not only improve their writing skills, but also exchange ideas between peers and experts as well as making wider networking skills. We are waiting for you to share your work at INGRACE in November 2025.