About the platform

Markets and corporations are key to our society. Relations among them – and the state – are changing and new configurations emerge. How can they meet the challenges of the 21st century and contribute to free, democratic and open societies? To what extent can a private corporation fulfil tasks that traditionally belong to the state? What challenges does that bring, and what would it require from markets and the state? Can it be legitimate, and how do values embodied by the Open Society remain safeguarded? What does a role for private governance require from public institutions in terms of the public regulation of private parties?

Interdisciplinary and cooperation with societal partners

Within the IOS-Platform Markets & Corporations in Open Societies, we study these and related questions by bundling insights from various angles. This is including law, economics, governance, history, philosophy, social and geo-sciences.

With such strong interdisciplinary effort and in close cooperation with societal partners – corporations, regulators and NGOs – this platform combines first-hand experiences with fundamental academic reflection. We believe that their mutual reinforcement is prerequisite to a rich understanding of the challenges of markets and corporations in an Open Society.

The platform researches the tensions and the intertwined nature of public and private forms of governance

Bundling partners from in- and outside Utrecht University, the platform researches the tensions and the intertwined nature of public and private forms of governance. It diagnoses where there are opportunities and success stories, as well as the moments where markets and business may tend to undermine public goals, and what can be done from the public side to remedy these threats.

The contemporary economy does not allow a simple private/public distinction, and public and private institutions continuously have to redefine their roles and responsibilities with respect to public goals.