Geography's Profile in Public Debate “Inside the Beltway” and the National Academies*

Abstract

Geographers continue to engage in public debate “inside the Beltway” by participation within and through federal agencies and through the National Research Council. Several examples illustrate the level and kind of this engagement, which has been concentrated on environmental and spatial data and analysis themes. Most professional geographers have the opportunity to engage in this form of public debate through participation in the activities of the National Research Council. The level of this participation has been surprisingly strong, given the small size of the community of professional geographers, and has helped to shape both U.S. and international research agendas relevant to geographic research. Participation, however, is concentrated in a few programs and individuals, raising questions about the sustainability of geography's voice in this public activity. *This article was prepared for the plenary session “Raising Geography's Profile in Public Debate,” Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Philadelphia, 17 March 2004. I thank Alexander Murphy for the invitation to participate in this session and Susan Hanson for comments on my thoughts as they were developing. I tip my hat to the reviewers for their comments on content and their editorial contributions.