Global and Geopolitical Challenges in a Changing Europe conference, Prague, 14 – 15th March 2024.

In March, Professor Joyce Liddle of Policy&Practice, organised this event with fellow members of the conference series’ committee: Professors Martin Pělucha, Prague University of Economics and Business; John Shutt and Ignazio Cabras, Northumbria University; Dr John Gibney, University of Birmingham, and Professor Markku Sotarauta, Tampere University, Finland. The conference was one a series of events held across Europe which will culminate in a final event in Birmingham in April 2025.

Place leadership has been the subject of extensive academic discourse for many years. Debates took place at a pivotal geopolitical moment, resulting from war in Ukraine and its political and economic consequences – not least of which is an acceleration of Europe’s migration crises. The confluence of unprecedented challenges led participants to call for a dynamic and adaptive approach which requires leaders to redefine strategies, adapt decision-making processes and exercise agility in fast-evolving circumstances.

Professors Liddle, Shutt and Gibney’s contribution identified several challenges facing sub-national leadership. These focused on how to respond to inter-related challenges of Brexit and cross-border cooperation and how to counter challenges to local democracy and enable a sub-national voice?

Many of the contributors in this series of events will prepare articles for a special issue of the journal Regional Studies which will be published in 2025/6 edited by John Gibney, Joyce Liddle, John Shutt and Markku Sotarauta, entitled: Leadership in city and regional development: new perspectives from within and beyond borders.