LIST OF PANELS

A -  General objectives

Integrating a political perspective into transportation and mobility policies opens new avenues for understanding diverse phenomena such as governance models, policy-making processes, political and public contestation, etc. Transportation systems are not only shaped by technical requirements, but are profoundly influenced by power relations, resource allocation conflicts, or political negotiations and contestations. In this sense, the general objective of this panel is to deepen the analysis from multiple approaches to understand how transport and mobility systems emerge as an output of public policy, who controls them, and how their management either reinforces or challenges social problems such as inequality.

Reframing transport and mobility policies as inherently political issues provides critical insights into how power dynamics, public resources, or citizen participation molds transport systems and their outcomes. While the traditional framework for analyzing public policy in transport has been rooted in economics, there is an evolving trend towards more psychological, institutional, and sociological perspectives. By integrating these newer approaches and examining factors such as institutional theory, ideologies, and power relations, we can better understand the complex policy choices behind infrastructure development, policy choices, and mobility governance.

Transportation is central to environmental politics and policies. The sector accounts for a significant share of global CO2 emissions, making it a critical arena in the fight for decarbonization and sustainable services. As countries struggle to align transport policies with their climate objectives, decisions in this space become inseparable from broader environmental governance challenges, raising questions about political ideologies and governance structures.

Transport and mobility are key social policy issues directly impacting social inclusion and equity. While they can enhance accessibility, poorly distributed or inadequate services can exacerbate inequalities. Public policy analysis is essential to examining how mobility and transport policies are made, who benefits from them, and how marginalized groups are affected by decisions in the policy process.

B -   Research Questions

Despite its importance, the transport and mobility sector remains underexplored within public policy research, even though it raises crucial issues of governance, resource distribution, political conflict, and accessibility. Much academic attention has primarily focused on technical, infrastructural, or planning aspects, while sidelining the public policy dynamics that shape decisions for transport and mobility policies and their outcomes [Kębłowski et al., 2018].

The implications of transport and mobility policy-making bring up several critical questions that remain untackled: How are decisions on transport policies negotiated among multiple levels of government including public authorities, private stakeholders, and civil society and how do they reflect or reinforce power dynamics? How do political ideologies and power struggles affect to mobility policies, and how do these affect marginalized communities? What governance mechanisms, regulation, and resources procurement shape transport infrastructure, and what is the role of private actors? How do social dynamics and contextual stimuli shape the decision-making structures around supply and demand for transport services?

These questions highlight the inherently political nature of transport and mobility policies, encompassing issues of justice, equity, and public accountability. Urban transportation is an increasingly urgent issue that the government must address, as cities face growing demands for more efficient public transport systems, while also dealing with the challenge of congestion, pollution, and the tensions between pedestrians, cyclists, and car users. While often framed as technical or administrative, transport and mobility policies demand deeper analysis from a public policy perspective to address these intersecting governance challenges and respond to the urgent societal and environmental pressures.

C -  Scientific Relevance

Mobility and transport policies result from a specific governance system, often involving collaborations between public and private actors [Chiapa Aguillón, 2018 ; Xu et al., 2020]. The involvement of private actors in shaping transport policies raises questions about the influence of private interest in public infrastructure and on the production and use of knowledge [Schenk, 2021 ; Molander, 2018].

Moreover, transportation infrastructure often sparks significant social mobilization and political conflict [Welzer-Lang et al., 2024 ; Obersteiner et al., 2024 ; Flonneau et al., 2021 ; Ndong-Etroit, 2016], highlighting the sector as a side of both public contestation and governance.

The social dimensions of transport and mobility also demand further exploration [López-García, 2024]. Research has shown the experiences of minorities [Ivanova et al., 2024 ; Lubitow et al., 2020 ; Weintrob et al., 2021], elderly [Maresova et al., 2023] and children [Mitra et al., 2014] highlighting the ways in which the transport system can either mitigate or exacerbate inequalities. Additionally, active transport’s role in public health underscores the broader societal impacts of transport policies [Rissel et al., 2014] Understanding how mobility habits and choices are influenced by political, social, and economic factors.

This panel aims to shed light on how transport and mobility policies are shaped by governance, political ideologies, and public policy struggles. By examining past and current challenges - such as innovations like autonomous vehicles [Taeihagh et al., 2019], or the crises like Covid-19 [Gkiotsalitis et al., 2021] – we can further understand the evolving public policy landscape in transport and mobility, in the context of both cities and rural areas, which faces ever-growing demands for effective mobility solutions.

---

Chiapa Aguillón, Everardo. 2018. “Asociaciones Público-Privadas En Servicios Públicos Locales: Paradojas Entre Análisis de Factibilidad y Consecuencias No Previstas.”

Flonneau, Mathieu, Maxime Huré, and Arnaud Passalacqua. 2021. Métropoles Mobiles. Défis Institutionnels et Politiques de La Mobilité Dans Les Métropoles Françaises. Presses universitaires de Rennes.

Gkiotsalitis, K., and O. Cats. 2021. “Public Transport Planning Adaption under the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: Literature Review of Research Needs and Directions.” Transport Reviews 41(3):374–92. doi: 10.1080/01441647.2020.1857886.

Ivanova, O., and S. O’Hern. 2024. “Mobility of Non-Binary and Gender Nonconforming Individuals: A Systematic Literature Review.” Journal of Transport Geography 121. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.104008.

Kębłowski, Wojciech, and David Bassens. 2018. “‘All Transport Problems Are Essentially Mathematical’: The Uneven Resonance of Academic Transport and Mobility Knowledge in Brussels.” Urban Geography 39(3):413–37. doi: 10.1080/02723638.2017.1336320.

López-García, David. 2024. “Diverging Mobility Situations in Greater Mexico City: Exploring the Factors behind the Mobility Situations of Public Transport Commuters.” Urban Studies 61(10):1849–70. doi: 10.1177/00420980231214728.

Lubitow, Amy, Miriam J. Abelson, and Erika Carpenter. 2020. “Transforming Mobility Justice: Gendered Harassment and Violence on Transit.” Journal of Transport Geography 82:102601. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.102601.

Maresova, Petra, Ondrej Krejcar, Raihan Maskuriy, Nor Azlina Abu Bakar, Ali Selamat, Zuzana Truhlarova, Jiri Horak, Miroslav Joukl, and Lucie Vítkova. 2023. “Challenges and Opportunity in Mobility among Older Adults – Key Determinant Identification.” BMC Geriatrics 23(1):447. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04106-7.

Mitra, Raktim, Guy Ej Faulkner, Ron N. Buliung, and Michelle R. Stone. 2014. “Do Parental Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Environment Influence Children’s Independent Mobility? Evidence from Toronto, Canada.” Urban Studies 51(16):3401–19. doi: 10.1177/0042098013519140.

Molander, S. 2018. “Changing Roles and New Perspectives: Towards Market Orientation in Public Transport.” Transportation 45(6):1811–25. doi: 10.1007/s11116-017-9781-3.

Ndong-Etroit, Maïmouna. 2016. “La Construction Narrative Du Territoire Métropolitain à Travers Les Politiques de Transports Urbains: Les Cas de Lyon et Marseille.” P. 327 in Actes du 3e colloque du CIST-En quête de.

Obersteiner, P., K. Trimmel, T. Brudermann, and M. Kriechbaum. 2024. “Beyond Polarisation and Simplified Storylines: Exploring Discursive Struggles over a Transport Infrastructure Project in Vienna, Austria.” Case Studies on Transport Policy 18. doi: 10.1016/j.cstp.2024.101293.

Rissel, Chris, and Peter Mccue. 2014. “Healthy Places and Spaces: The Impact of the Built Environment and Active Transport on Physical Activity and Population Health.” Health Promotion Journal of Australia : Official Journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals 25:155–56. doi: 10.1071/HE14103.

Schenk, Frithjof Benjamin. 2021. “Infrastructures.” in Doing Spatial History. Routledge.

Taeihagh, A., and H. S. M. Lim. 2019. “Governing Autonomous Vehicles: Emerging Responses for Safety, Liability, Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Industry Risks.” Transport Reviews 39(1):103–28. doi: 10.1080/01441647.2018.1494640.

Weintrob, Amos, Luke Hansell, Martin Zebracki, Yvonne Barnard, and Karen Lucas. 2021. “Queer Mobilities: Critical LGBTQ Perspectives of Public Transport Spaces.” Mobilities 16(5):775–91. doi: 10.1080/17450101.2021.1958249.

Welzer-Lang, Daniel, and Pascal Gassiot. 2024. Observatoire Toulousain Des Pratiques Policières : Rapport Sur Les Opérations de Police et de Gendarmerie Dans Le Cadre Des Oppositions à La Constructionde l’autoroute A69, Avril 2024. Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Solidarités, Sociétés, Territoires ; Ligue des droits de l’Homme ; Fondation Copernic ; Syndicat des Avocats de France.

Xu, Guangjian, and Qianqian Lu. 2020. “Integrating the Private Economy with the Public Transport Sector in China.” in Hybrid Governance, Organisations and Society. Routledge.

The transport and mobility sector plays a pivotal role not only in shaping urban and rural mobility but also in addressing some pressing environmental and social challenges. As cities and nations confront climate crises and pursue sustainable urban planning, transportation systems emerge not merely as technical infrastructure but as arenas where public policy decisions have a profound impact on society. Public transport policies directly influence carbon emissions, social inequality, and access to essential services, establishing transport as a crucial linchpin for both environmental sustainability and social justice. Despite the importance of this issue, public policy research has not always fully addressed the complexity of transport and mobility policies, particularly in terms of governance and power dynamics –- a gap that this panel seeks to address.

This panel invites contributions that examine transport and mobility policies, addressing their intersections with governance, social justice, and environmental policy. We seek to foster a dialogue that transcends the traditional boundaries of urban planning and engineering, by integrating public policy perspectives, for understanding what really builds transport and mobility policies.

We encourage submissions that address topics including, but not limited to:

·       Mobility Governance and Decision-Making process: The role of state and non-state actors (e.g., NGO, private companies) in shaping public transportation policies and the processes and challenges of decision-making in transport and mobility policies, focusing on how decisions are made, negotiated, and implemented across different governance levels.

·       Mobility justice: How mobility policies affect marginalized communities, contribute to or limit social inequalities, and shape spatial justice and urban segregation.

·       Environmental Mobility: The intersection of climate justice and transport policies, and how decarbonization strategies are implemented, especially when it faces public or corporate opposition.

·       Behavioral Approach: How behavioral insights are integrated into transport and mobility policies design to influence mobility choices.

·       Policy Learning: How transport policies are transferred or adapted across different regions and governance models.

·       Funding of mobility and transport policies: The Political dimension of funding public transport, including the development of new pricing and ticketing models.

·       Innovation in Transport: The development and societal acceptance of innovation like autonomous vehicles and green fuels in mobility policies,

·       Etc.

We welcome submissions of both theoretical and empirical papers, encompassing qualitative and quantitative approaches, interdisciplinary perspectives, as well as case studies. Our aim is to foster an inclusive and diverse environment, by encouraging contributions from various continents, countries, and local contexts, as well as promoting gender parity in our selection process. We may also explore the possibility of compiling selected papers into a special issue, creating an enriching dialogue within our scholarly community.