Interview with Assistant Professor Damion Bunders

Dr. Damion Bunders, Assistant Professor of Digital Geography and Governance, investigates how digitalisation transforms social, political, and economic life and how new institutional structures might make this shift more inclusive. His research uses interdisciplinary collaboration with societal partners to evaluate the viability and impact of bottom-up social innovation initiatives, from smart citizenship programs to platform cooperatives and digital inclusion initiatives in "left behind" regions. In addition to coordinating Writing & Argumentation in the Bachelor of Human Geography and Planning program, he is an educator who promotes the use of digital tools and community-engaged learning. In this interview, he discusses his motivations and how his research helps understand and create more equitable digital futures.

What projects are you currently working on?

I'm mostly finishing a few projects, still coming from my own PhD research, which was on platform cooperatives, a type of bottom-up initiative in the platform economy, specifically for platform workers like delivery couriers and online freelancers. I have two papers in later stages as well. Honeypot, an alternative platform for online sex workers is the case study of one of the two papers and the other one is on CoopCycle. CoopCycle is a worker-owned bike delivery cooperative. They do food and package delivery in many European cities, but now also in Latin America. 

I also have a side project that is less related to my focus on digitalization, mostly as I had the opportunity to work with some colleagues. We were interested in how Dutch citizens think about climate politics. This one is more related to bottom-up initiatives because it's about preferences for citizen participation in climate policymaking. I will also continue to work on research about digital economic participation in left behind places. These can be rural areas, former industrial areas, places with population decline, not enough work, or health problems. You might expect the digital economy to equalize access so that even people in these remote places can participate, not only in big cities. This does not represent reality currently. I am interested under which conditions these remote places can participate and gain benefits from the digital economy.  

Could you mention an example of one of these conditions that can help?

I am interested in seeing if bottom-up institutions such as cooperatives and unionization rates would help locals to participate more. There are some theories around this, but it hasn't been tested. 


How did you become interested in digitalization?

Being part of the first generation to grow up with the Internet, I have always had a deep fascination for how digital technologies relate to new ways of working and living. This also motivated me to follow an interdisciplinary path to study these developments from multiple perspectives. Furthermore, by being present in different disciplines, I also gained different perspectives, may that be geographical, sociological, or historical. 

Is there a book or podcast that has influenced your thinking?

I used to be a big fan of ‘Tech Won't Save Us’, which is a critical technology podcast. There is a great book by Ben Tarnoff called ‘Internet for the People: The Fight for Our Digital Future’. It's about the history of the internet; he describes where these bottom-up initiatives have played a role and may continue to play a bigger role in the future. 

What motivated you to join our platform?

At the start of my PhD, back in 2018, I already joined the earlier version of the platform, which was called Future of Citizen-based Initiatives, FOCI. When returning to Utrecht University, it felt natural to rejoin this group, also because I know many of the members and am still researching bottom-up initiatives.

Is there an activity that you enjoyed and would like to mention here?

I liked the Impact Day of 2024; I think it was quite a big success and a great initiative for collaboration. I have also organized seminars in the past for FOCI.

Finally, what has been the most rewarding aspect of being part of this platform?

Firstly, I had gotten some financial support in the past to organize a seminar myself. Second, events such as the Research Day and the Impact Day are also useful as you get to come together with people from different disciplines all working on slightly different, but related topics. You get a lot of inspiration, feedback on your own work, and a chance to network with people. 

Damion Bunders' dedication to empowering bottom-up innovation and promoting inclusive digital transformation provides the Bottom-up Initiatives community with insightful insight.

Stay tuned for more narratives from our members as we work together to create inclusive and sustainable change!