Call For Papers (1/2): Geographers in the policy arena: Building bridges between academia and evidence-based policymaking, CIG 2026

Uncategorized

This year’s Conference of Irish Geographers will be hosted by University College Cork, Department of Geography with the theme ‘Connected Environments: Integration and Resilience’, on the 6th – 8th May 2026: https://www.conferenceofirishgeographers.ie 

The DataStories team is organising a session entitled: Geographers in the policy arena: Building bridges between academia and evidence-based policymaking 

Geographic knowledge is essential for addressing contemporary policy challenges, from climate adaptation and spatial justice to urban resilience and resource management. Yet, significant gaps often exist between the production of geographic research and its effective uptake in policy processes. This session examines how geographers navigate the complex landscape of evidence-based decision-making and explores strategies for strengthening the science-policy interface.  

We invite contributions that critically examine the relationship between policymaking (in both public and private sectors) and the use of geographical knowledge. Of particular interest are perspectives that interrogate power dynamics in knowledge production and the politics of “evidence” itself.  

Topics may include, but are not limited to:  

  • institutional barriers and facilitators to evidence uptake in policymaking
  • increased role of consultants in policymaking
  • the evolution of GIS from data visualisation tools to strategic policy design instruments
  • challenges around what does and does not qualify as evidence for policymaking
  • participatory approaches to geographic knowledge production
  • the use of emerging technologies (e.g. AI-enhanced spatial analytics) in reshaping the evidence base available to policymakers.  

This session aims to share lessons learned from geographers working at the science-policy interface and to build practical frameworks for research-to-policy translation.  

Session organisers: Juliette Davret, Oliver Dawkins, Carla Maria Kayanan, Rob Kitchin and Samuel Mutter
Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute/Department of Geography, Maynooth University  

Please submit abstracts (no more than 250 words) for this session to Juliette Davret (juliette.davret@mu.ie) by 15 March. We will alert you on the outcome of your abstract by 20 March to give you sufficient time to upload your abstract to the CIG portal before it closes on 27th March. 

For a copy of the CFP flyer, click here: PDF

To view the other session we are organising, click here: Call For Papers (2/2): Arts-based and experimental methods in geographical investigation, CIG 2026

Want to share this? (click + below for more options)