IOS Position Paper & Reactions

How are open societies transforming and what is our role therein? In this IOS Position Paper, authors Flor Avelino, Carolina Castaldi, Rutger Claassen and Anna Gerbrandy renew and refine the notion of open societies and relate it to a diversity of normative perspectives and processes of institutional transformation. This Position Paper invites academic communities in IOS, Utrecht and beyond to engage in a renewed debate and exchange on openness in contemporary times.

Reactions

The European Union as an Institution for Open Societies  — Reaction by the EU Platform on the position paper Transforming Open Societies

In their position paper “Transforming Open Societies”, Flor Avelino, Carolina Castaldi, Rutger Claassen, and Anna Gerbrandy address the question “How can open societies and their institutions be understood, studied and developed in the face of ongoing societal challenges and needs?”. The present document is a short reflection by authors Martijn Huysmans and Ton van den Brink on behalf of the EU Platform, applying the framework of the position paper to the EU and taking up some of the questions raised in it.

Acknowledging Migrants as Part of Open Societies — Reaction by the focus area Migration and Societal Change on the position paper Transforming Open Societies 

The take-away message of the IOS position paper “Transforming Open Societies” is that openness of societies is a value worth fighting for; a message supported by the authors of this reaction: Ilse van Liempt, Jos Philips, Marcel Lubbers, and Dina Siegel. They do however see some tension in relation to openness and how migration is framed. In the position paper, migration is most of all addressed as an external threat and as such, as a challenge to the openness of societies, rather than being a contribution to it as well.