Militant Research and Public Policy: From Action to Reform and from Reform to Action

Rubén Martínez Moreno and Jaime Palomera Zaidel

Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 2025, vol. 116, issue 4, 391-408

Abstract: There exists a political tradition that views research as a transformative tool that empowers people to diagnose their own realities and enact change. Drawing on the legacy of militant research, this paper examines its role in shaping and influencing public policy, identifying two distinct frameworks: Action‐to‐Reform, which focuses on leveraging grassroots knowledge to achieve systemic reforms, and Reform‐to‐Action, which integrates public–community collaboration into governance practices. The analysis centres on two case studies in Barcelona in which the authors were actively involved: the Tenant Survey, which exemplifies Action‐to‐Reform by enhancing grassroots organisation to advocate for structural housing reforms, and the Citizen Asset Programme, a case of Reform‐to‐Action that institutionalises public–community collaborations to promote urban commons. This paper highlights the transformative potential of knowledge production embedded in collective action, the contrasting strategies these frameworks adopt in engaging with the state, and the tensions and dilemmas they entail. Connecting these case studies to seminal and contemporary literature on militant research, this work contributes to debates on how autonomous knowledge production can simultaneously challenge dominant paradigms and foster institutional change.

Date: 2025
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