Call for papers

Strengthening economic resilience: Geographies of policies, knowledge co-creation and industry transformations

Contemporary trade wars, geopolitical tensions, climate change, pandemics, natural hazards and other social and economic problems highlight the need for more resilient and sustainable knowledge-based economies. Achieving this requires balanced development, coordinated global and local efforts and collaboration among societal actors to find new approaches and solutions. While societal resilience refers to the ability of a society to preserve and restore essential basic structures, economic resilience means an economy’s ability to prepare and adapt to challenges and recover from crises. Strengthening economic resilience, therefor,e calls for necessary measures locally, regionally, nationally and globally across different sectors of the economy.

The fundamental aim of the IGU CDES 2026 conference is, on the one hand, to explore the economic, political and social measures, strategies and practices that contribute to a more dynamic and harmonious economic development in different parts of the world. On the other hand, it highlights how the interaction and cooperation between different spheres of society (e.g. industries, government, academia, civil society) affects economic resilience and flexibility, also responding to the UN Agenda 2030. These interactions may contribute to policy development, innovations, knowledge co-creation, and industry transformations, where the role of societal stakeholders such as firms, the public sector, universities and non-governmental organisations can be analysed in different geographical contexts.

The conference seeks to answer a number of related questions, such as: How can companies strengthen economic and societal resilience in their interactions with the public sector, other companies and higher education institutions? What kinds of policies and regulations are needed to ensure sustainable development and the necessary innovations in critical sectors? How are emerging technologies being used to co-create and share knowledge in communities, including multi-cultural groups? How can digitally mediated knowledge co-creation processes support resilient, competitive and vital regions? What kinds of industrial and trade policies help stabilise sustainable global supply chains?

In line with these questions, the 2026 IGU CDES conference aims to discuss the main theme Strengthening economic resilience within three sub-themes, and invites papers on the following topics, including but not limited to:

1. Geographies of policies

  • Trade policies, geopolitical tensions and global production networks
  • Shifts in policy frameworks, capital flows, and the location of firms
  • Multi-scalar policy development for sustainability
  • Regulation and responsible use of technology across regions
  • Policy instruments and support for emerging industries and value chains
  • Multilateral, mega-regional and bilateral policy coordination and conflict

2. Geographies of knowledge co-creation

  • Multi-stakeholder collaboration for knowledge creation and sharing
  • Analytical approaches on innovations and knowledge co-creation for economic resilience (e.g. triple/quadruple helix, ecosystems, networks)
  • Innovations, digitalisation and resilience in reviving and lagging regions
  • Knowledge flows between the core and the periphery in shaping innovations
  • Potential and limitations of emerging technologies for economic resilience

3. Geographies of industry transformations

  • The role of firms in strengthening the security of supply
  • Governance, industry transformation and supply chains in critical industries
  • Spatial dynamics of trade, investments, and productivity
  • Structural transformation in leading and emerging regions
  • Circular economy transitions, including reuse, recycling, and resource efficiency
  • Transformation of work and the role of human-technology interaction

Please send your abstract (max. 250 words), 4 to 6 keywords, your name and affiliation, via the online form:

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT

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