As part of my Ethics, Politics, & Economics major at Yale, I wrote a thesis paper examining the policy process behind outer space governance. Check it out!
Space: The Constitutive Policy Process
Abstract
Historically, outer space has remained largely the object of scientific exploration. As ongoing technological advancement increases human access to space, however, it is becoming an increasingly exploitable resource. In the coming years, humankind may begin mining asteroids and the Moon, establishing a sustained tourist presence in space, and even using the unique physical conditions of space for in-space manufacturing. This paradigm shift raises important questions as to how space should be governed as a resource, at both the constitutive and ordinary levels. At present, international space governance consists mostly of a patchwork of Cold War-era international UN agreements that are inadequate for governing space in its new capacity as an exploitable resource. This paper seeks to begin addressing this policy deficiency, with a specific focus on space’s constitutive policy process. I evaluate the policy process through the policy sciences meta-framework, examining the social and decisionmaking processes involved, as well as relevant historical trends. I ultimately recommend that the international community host an inclusive forum on space resource governance, with the aim of creating a new international agreement to supplement the existing global space governance system.
Jayne Elizabeth Green 