States, Economies & Societies

We conduct globally-focused, multi-scalar, mixed-method research to address pressing challenges at the intersection of political, economic and social geography.

The School of Geographical Science’s States, Economies and Societies research group investigates processes of economic, social and political change across different countries, regions and cities worldwide. Group members have a track record in working closely with policymakers in local and national governments both in and beyond the UK, non-governmental organisations, and the multilateral system. The group asks: What is the state and how does it impact people’s lives? What is the form, function and evolution of cities and urbanisation? What are the lived experiences in different geographical contexts and how can we illuminate them?

The group examines transformations across diverse spatial and international contexts, including (but not limited to) the UK, Italy, Ghana, South Africa, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam and China, through multi-scalar perspectives and by using mixed methods. We contribute to both intellectual and policy debates on sustainable development, particularly on inequalities, health and well-being, environmental change and decarbonisation. In bringing together a variety of eminent and emerging academics with expertise in urban and rural geography, economic development, public policy, international governance, labour and public health, we are committed to advancing reflective research that addresses global challenges.

The group is active in the teaching programme, bringing professional and policy- focused experience to our undergraduate and postgraduate taught offerings and has a vibrant cohort of PhD students.

We are widely published in leading journals such as Npj Urban Sustainability, Science, Urban Studies, and World Development. Our most recent publications include:

Atkins, E. (2023) A Just Energy Transition: Getting decarbonisation right in a time of crisis, Bristol University Press: Bristol.

Duminy, J. (2022) Food and Famine in Colonial Africa, Palgrave Macmillan.

Espey, J. (2023) Science in Negotiation: The role of scientific evidence in shaping the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2012-2015. Springer: New York.

MacLeavy, J (2025) Enduring Austerity: The Uneven Geographies of the Post-Welfare State, Bristol University Press: Bristol

Bhan, G; Keith, M Parnell, S and Pieterse, E (2025) Cities rethought: A New Urban Disposition, Polity: London

Shi, Q., Liu, T., & Peng, R. (2024). Hukou type, hukou place and labour market vulnerability in Chinese megacities: The case of Beijing in the COVID-19 pandemic. Urban Studies, DOI: 10.1177/00420980231223088.

Research Highlights:

Sue Parnell

Is currently a UCT-Bristol Collaboration Professorial Fellow and is part of a Wellcome Trust grant on climate and urban health in Africa. She is working on advancing the urban agenda in the multilateral system, focusing specifically on the way cities are profiled in the G20 and through the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Maria Fannin

Is the Professor of Human Geography and Chair of the Royal Geographical Society’s Geographies of Health and Wellbeing Research Group. Her research focuses on gendered notions of risk and responsibility, particularly in relation to reproductive justice, health and politics. She is an experienced collaborator in multi-disciplinary research with life scientists, philosophers, and artists on the ethical and social dimensions of new technologies. Her most recent published work focuses on a history of the ‘birth experience’ in post-war Great Britain.

Jonathan Rigg

Has two current projects on ‘The health impacts of climate change on precarious outdoor workers in urban megacities in Vietnam’ (Wellcome Trust) and ‘Sajag Nepal: multi-hazards and systemic risks – planning and preparedness for the mountain hazard and risk chain in Nepal’ (GCRF-funded).