Trajectories of geography and public policy

Abstract

Amidst political and institutional demands for a focus on 'translational ', 'applied', 'useful', 'relevant', 'impactful' and 'engaged' research, this Special Section revisits and resituates the question of geography's relationship with public policy and asks how do we respond to these societal demands? We need not start from scratch; in fact, there exists a substantial established literature on the geography-public policy relationship and its actual and potential trajectories. These debates need to be recontextualised and supplemented so that they are more thoroughly situated and sensitized to contemporary conjunctures, risks and opportunities.

Editorial: Future Ambitions for a Geographical Society Journal in a Changing World

“…Meanwhile, there are increasing calls that academic research needs to ‘have impact’, be policy‐relevant and foster the public imagination (Lin et al . 2022). Has geography lost its traditional strength right at the moment when society may be yearning for it?…”

“…The result is a geographical discipline where individual scholars are increasingly engaged in siloed debates around specific topics, while the larger joined-up thinking is continuously under threat, a dynamic which ultimately threatens the geographical discipline itself (Van Meeteren 2023a). Meanwhile, there are increasing calls that academic research needs to 'have impact', be policy-relevant and foster the public imagination (Lin et al 2022). Has geography lost its traditional strength right at the moment when society may be yearning for it?…”

Why engaged critical urban research must place scholar policy activism at its core

“…It was urban geographers who staked out the key debating postures. Historiographies of the period often recount barbed exchanges between the revolutionary Harvey and counter-revolutionary Brian Berry which degenerated into a ugly brawl when each reviewed the other's book; Berry (1974aBerry ( see also 1972 Whilst ultimately an unsustainable oversimplification, there is some merit in the claim that three gravitational poles were elaborated comprising a novel 'radical' force-field centred upon dialectical reason, revolutionary scholar-activism and politicised advocacy; a 'pure' field predicated upon impartial positivist reason and disinterested theoretical exegesis, and; an 'applied' field privileging practical, practitioner-oriented, problem-focussed and policy-facing scholarship and even hired consultancy (Lin et al, 2022). Of course intellectual endeavour meandered unevenly within and between these force fields, aligning and dis-aligning in often surprising ways.…”

Paradigma Filsafat Geografi Kontemporer: Kajian Ontologi, Epistemologi, Aksiologi, dan Keterampilan Sainstik

“…Pemanfaat data geografi dan teknologi geografi tidak hanya untuk pemecahan masalah ruang, tetapi juga digunakan pengambilan kebijakan ekonomi, pengembangan kawasan ekonomi khusus, pariwisata, perencanaan transportasi (bandara, pelabuhan, dan jalan tol), serta pembelajaran online atau hybrid. Geografi memiliki peran aktual dan potensial dalam substansi pengambilan kebijakan politik publik di era kontemporer (Lin et al, 2022). Rekomendasi kebijakan berdasarkan pendekatan lingkungan dan kewilayahan dalam konteks keruangan memberikan banyak manfaat bagi kehidupan manusia.…”