Moving ideas: An agenda for expanding the political scope of the policy mobilities approach

This paper addresses the policy mobilities approach's relative inattention to counter-hegemonic activism and contentious politics. It outlines one way to expand the literature's engagement with the political. By introducing the notion of "moving ideas"-ideas that circulate among places and also move people to political action-it outlines five avenues for policy mobilities scholars to advance the approach: situated knowledge on-the-move; persuasive storytelling; encounters in physical "truth-spots"; the temporalities of activism; and the role of "futuring" in policy change. It ends with notes on the framework's possible applicability to numerous social movements and its challenges and limitations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Progress in Human Geography
Published
2025-09-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/03091325251380698
Primary Topic
Policy Transfer and Learning
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Moving ideas: An agenda for expanding the political scope of the policy mobilities approach

Eugene McCann
Progress in Human Geography
Policy Transfer and Learning
article

Moving ideas: An agenda for expanding the political scope of the policy mobilities approach

Eugene McCann
article en

Abstract

This paper addresses the policy mobilities approach's relative inattention to counter-hegemonic activism and contentious politics. It outlines one way to expand the literature's engagement with the political. By introducing the notion of "moving ideas"-ideas that circulate among places and also move people to political action-it outlines five avenues for policy mobilities scholars to advance the approach: situated knowledge on-the-move; persuasive storytelling; encounters in physical "truth-spots"; the temporalities of activism; and the role of "futuring" in policy change. It ends with notes on the framework's possible applicability to numerous social movements and its challenges and limitations.

Progress in Human GeographyVol. 50(2)
Simon Fraser University (CA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 70%
Policy Transfer and Learning
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