IOS research

We live in a rapidly changing world. Several major global crises have put the established institutions of the open society to the test. In addition, these challenges often overlap and have the potential to deepen inequalities and erode public values. We believe we should respond to these challenges actively and cooperatively to safeguard the future of open and resilient societies, how do we contribute?

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 formal and informal rules of human interaction: institutions. We are working on innovative solutions to safeguard the transition towards an open society characterized by a flexible democratic structure, well-being with associated freedoms and human rights, equity and diversity, and wide dissemination of information. An open society is never completed and always open to improvement, especially in times like these.

How should the existing formal and informal institutions be innovated to cope with current societal challenges to open societies?

IOS Position Paper

In the new IOS Position Paper (2024) "Transforming Open Societies", the authors examine the concept of open societies, their historical context, current challenges, and the need for institutional transformation to address these challenges. In this paper, the authors propose five perspectives to guide open societies:

1. Democracy and the Rule of Law
2. Well-being and Broad Prosperity
3. Justice and Equality
4. Sustainability
5. The Pluriverse.

Fifteen IOS Platforms

Within Institutions for Open Societies (IOS), excellent scholars from various disciplines ranging from economics and political to cultural, language and art history, from psychology to social geography and planning and from governance and law to digitalisation and AI address key topics in fifteen platforms that are essential for building or maintaining sustainable and open societies. Anywhere in the world.

IOS also have two theme-wide initiatives: Global Futures of Democracy and Broad Prosperity/ Better Well-being.

• Security in Open Societies
• Contesting Governance
• Markets and Corporations
• EU Platform
• Futures of Democracy
• Openness challenged: The University at risk?

• Future of Work
• Bottom-up Initiatives for Societal Change
• Behaviour and Institutions
• Fair Transitions
• Longtermism and Institutional Change
• The Transactional State as an Institution for Good

• Gender, Diversity and Global Justice
• In/Equality
• Open Cities