Actors, themes, approaches, and imbalances in Blue Economy cooperation: A systematic review and future prospects

This study employs a systematic review approach to examine the actors, themes, approaches, and imbalances in Blue Economy cooperation. By systematically tracing the evolution of the Blue Economy concept, this study identifies key actors involved in Blue Economy cooperation, including national government departments, regional economic organizations, industry institutions, research institutions, and local communities. It categorizes major cooperation themes, such as marine ecological protection, fisheries and aquaculture, offshore renewable energy, marine spatial planning, data sharing, and maritime security governance. Additionally, it summarizes cooperation approaches, including policy coordination, market mechanisms, technology sharing, and multi-level dialogue. The study further highlights three critical imbalances in Blue Economy cooperation: uneven distribution of power and resources, conflicts between short-term economic objectives and environmental protection, and the fragmentation of multilateral cooperation alongside weak local implementation capacity. Based on these findings, five policy recommendations are proposed: strengthening legal frameworks and accountability mechanisms, optimizing economic incentives, integrating multi-level governance systems, promoting technological cooperation and business innovation, and enhancing multi-stakeholder dialogue to achieve an equitable and sustainable Blue Economy. This study provides a systematic reference for advancing both theoretical exploration and practical implementation of Blue Economy cooperation.