Community contributions to societal challenges: Why they matter and how they work Behavior & Institutions
Symposium 17 June 2026 09.00-15.00 hrs.
Centraal Museum, Tuinzaal
Audience: Scientists and professionals
Organizers: Denise de Ridder, Marleen Gillebaart, Lars Tummers & John de Wit on behalf of the Behavior & Institutions platform at Utrecht University (https://www.uu.nl/en/research/institutions-for-open-societies/behaviour-and-institutions) and in collaboration with the Transforming Democracy community of Institutions for the Open Societies.
Community participation is vital for well-functioning societies. Both in academic circles and in societal institutions, there is lively debate and experimentation with various forms of community participation. These can range from community initiatives to citizen councils and other cooperative arrangements where people get together. Community engagement is crucial for creating support for societal transitions and for building trust between citizens and institutions. Importantly, it gives people the opportunity to take part in dialogue with politicians and policymakers and get involved in creating solutions for wicked problems. However, there is still much uncertainty about how communities become empowered to contribute in a way that allows for genuine involvement.
In this symposium, we will explore emerging ways for community voices to be heard. We will examine how communities can foster a lively democracy and build societies where everyone can flourish, while also investigating how (local) governments can effectively enable and engage their citizens. What are the most promising models for collective action? And do these citizen initiatives even need government support to succeed?
Preliminary program
Morning: Presentations by Wilhelm Hofmann (Ruhr Universität Bochum), Peter John (King’s College London) and Tine de Moor (Erasmus University Rotterdam) followed by a panel discussion. Afternoon: Demonstrations of strategies enabling citizens to contribute as a community by Lars Tummers (Utrecht University), Marleen Gillebaart (Utrecht University) and Lars Behrisch (Utrecht University). A more detailed program will follow shortly.
Location: Centraal Museum Utrecht Room: Tuinzaal Agnietenstraat 1 3512 XA UTRECHT Registration You can register for the symposium until May 1st using the registration link below:
Registration Form B&I Symposium