The Freeport Paradox is a pioneering interdisciplinary study of the UK’s freeports during the first stages of their implementation. It will address the following questions:

1. What are the spatial and temporal dynamics of the global SEZ model?

2. How are freeports designed and through what institutional support do they gain traction?

3. What forms of crime, harm and corruption does the global SEZ model tend to engender, and will the UK face similar social and environmental challenges?

4. How will channels of cooperation between key stakeholders and publics take place in the UK’s freeports? Are new partnerships and institutional arrangements needed to effectively (re)regulate the zones?

The project aims to advance both interdisciplinary academic work and foster cross-sector collaborations and policy recommendations in this important emerging area. This includes the design and dissemination of a penetrative conceptual framework for researchers and a set of regulatory measures for policy makers, practitioners and publics. The methodological approach draws together and critically evaluates both official accounts and the voices of community members and activists to offer a holistic picture for policy intervention. This will involve triangulating data from previous work on global illicit markets, a critical review of the interdisciplinary academic and grey literature, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders and community members living and working in and around the UK’s new freeports.