Thematic communities
Global issues are complex and cannot be solved from one single perspective. At Utrecht University, we are leading the way when it comes to interdisciplinary research on the shared (in)formal rules, organisations and agreements that shape how we live together: institutions.
We are working on innovative solutions to safeguard the transition towards more open, fair and resilient societies characterized by a flexible democratic structure, well-being with associated freedoms and human rights, equity, diversity and transparancy. Open societies are never completed. They need continous maintaince and are always open to improvement, especially in times like these.
To stimulate these solutions, 8 communities are formed to foster interdisciplinary research and educational initiatives, as well as (public) dialogues, policy advices, partnerships etc.
8 thematic communities
Open Democracy
How can societies remain open, resilient and democratic?
- Contesting Power: exploring how power can be challenged and reimagined to create more open, just and resilient societies.
- Democratic Engagement in a Multi-layered Open Society (DEMOS): exploring how citizens, academia and the media can strengthen democratic society.
- Security in Open Societies: exploring how security, trust and resilience can help societies stay open in times of change and crisis.
Shared Well-being
How can societies improve people's quality of life?
- Changemakers for Open Societies: exploring how people, organisations and bottom-up initiatives can drive the changes needed for a sustainable, fair and resilient future.
- Future of Work: exploring how work shapes resilient societies
- Shaping Digital Societies: exploring how digital societies are imagined, created, shaped, and governed through technology, institutions, education, public discourse, design, and everyday practices.
Fair Futures
How can we create fair and sustainable futures?
- Gender, Migration and Global Justice (GEM): exploring how inclusion, justice and democratic participation can strengthen open and fair societies.
- Global and Urban Ecologies (GLUE): exploring how connections between people, places and ecosystems can be reshaped to create thriving and just societies.
Broad Prosperity
To measure the real wealth of a society, we look at its citizens’ wellbeing and not only to the economic dimension (the gross domestic product, GDP). We initiated, in collaboration with RaboResearch, Netherlands' first comprehensive well-being index (BWI), which measures and weighs 11 dimensions that reflect the comprehensive well-being of Dutch people: safety, environment, health, subjective well-being, work-life balance, housing, education, material prosperity, civic engagement, social relations and jobs. Each year a new report is published. Learn more about the Better Well-Being Index (BWI).