از دانشگاه تا سیاست‌گذاری: چالش‌ها و فرصت‌های حضور فارغ التحصیلان جغرافیا در تصمیم‌سازی‌های کلان توسعه‌ای در ایران

Geography, as an interdisciplinary science, offers extensive capacities for spatial analysis, territorial planning, and environmental management. Despite these potentials, the actual involvement of geographers in Iran’s high-level decision-making processes has remained far below their real capacity. This study was designed to examine the challenges and opportunities for the participation of geographers in national policy-making and developmental processes, using a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative and qualitative techniques, including statistical analyses, questionnaire surveys, and expert panels. In the quantitative phase, data were collected through a standardized questionnaire distributed among 230 geography graduates and practitioners working in executive institutions. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 academic experts and executive managers. The quantitative findings revealed that more than 65% of respondents rated the use of geographical expertise in national decision-making as “low” or “very low,” while 78% believed that geography could play a significant role in territorial planning, crisis management, and sustainable development. The qualitative analysis identified four major categories of challenges (weak organizational position of geographers, lack of university–policy linkages, dominance of techno-economic perspectives in policies, and shortage of interdisciplinary skills) alongside three key opportunities (the growth of geospatial technologies, the expansion of sustainability-oriented approaches, and the urgent need for managing environmental and climatic crises). These findings highlight that although geographers in Iran face substantial structural and institutional barriers, emerging opportunities may enhance their role in policy-making. Consequently, revisiting educational policies and establishing institutional frameworks for geographers’ participation should be considered a strategic necessity.