Research project GEIST

Geographies of Economic Ideation and Spatial Transformation (GEIST)

The project at a glance

  • Start date:
    01 Mar 2026
  • Duration in months:
    30
  • Funding:
    DFG Wissenschaftliche Netzwerke
  • Principal Investigator(s):
    Nicklas RIEKOETTER
    Tim Rottleb (external)

About

GEIST is an international research network funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), bringing together network members and guest researchers from 15 institutions across Austria, Canada, Germany, Luxemburg, Norway and United Kingdom to advance ideational economic geography as an emerging field. At its core, the network investigates how ideas, imaginaries, narratives, and future conceptions drive economic and spatial transformation processes, ranging from regional development strategies, to changing global production networks, to overarching sustainability transitions. In five collaborative workshops between 2026 and 2028, the GEIST network aims to build on participating members’ preliminary work to bring concepts and approaches into pluralistic dialogue, achieve terminological clarity, explore methodological possibilities for transformation research, and create linkages between ideational economic geography and other disciplines. In times of significant global change, this network offers contributions to increase our understanding how collectively shared ideas reshape economies and territories.

Organisation and Partners

  • Department of Geography and Spatial Planning
  • Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE)
  • Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Chair of Macroeconomics

Project team

  • Nicklas RIEKOETTER, PI
  • Tim Rottleb, PI, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Chair of Macroeconomics (external)

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