On February 9, 2026, the International Week symposium took place at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (HHS). The week focuses on governance in a rapidly changing and unpredictable world. Students from the English-language programs Public Administration (HHS), International Public Policy and Leadership (HHS), and Legal Practice (University of Applied Sciences Antwerp) attend lectures and workshops, visit various locations in the city, and work on assignments.

At the invitation of senior lecturer in Public Administration, Pim van Gestel, our analysts Rajeev Lachmipersad and Michel Don Michaloliákos provided a so-called Curiosity booster and answered the question: how do geographical factors influence public administration and (geo)political developments?

Although ‘geo’ in geopolitics refers to ‘geography’, it often remains underexposed in geopolitical analyses. However, geography forms the basis and boundary of cultural-political developments and thus state formation. For that reason alone, the subject of this guest lecture is worthwhile.

In this guest lecture, our analysts shared some key concepts and discussed how geography influences public administration, geopolitics, and the likelihood of successful states. The guest lecture generated a lot of interest and questions. However, our mission has not yet been fully accomplished: we would like to see both geographers and public administration experts play a more prominent role in the geopolitical debate.

With insight into how public administration functions, how policy is formulated, and the complex interaction between society and the state, they can make a valuable contribution to the geopolitical debate, in which too many analysts focus solely on countries as unitary actors that act rationally. We are therefore happy to repeat this call here.

Interested in a lecture or masterclass? Click here for more information.