Civil society as a social sphere is constantly subjected to change. Using the Dutch context, this article addresses the question whether religiously inspired engagement is a binder or a breakpoint in modern societies. The author examines how religiously inspired people in the Netherlands involve themselves in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and voluntary activities. Religious involvement and social engagement in different European countries are compared and discussed. In addition, the author explores the models of civil society and applies these to both the Christian and Islamic civil society in the Netherlands. Using four religious ‘identity organizations’ as case studies, this article discusses the interaction of Christian and Islamic civil society related to secularized Dutch society. The character and intentions of religiously inspired organizations and the relationship between religious and secular involvement are examined. This study also focuses on the attitude of policymakers towards religiously inspired engagement and government policy on ‘identity organizations’ in the Netherlands.
DOCUMENT
The climate crisis is an urgent and complex global challenge, requiring transformative action from diverse stakeholders, including governments, civil society, and grassroots movements. Conventional top-down approaches to climate governance have proven insufficient (e.g. UNFCCC, COP events), necessitating a shift towards more inclusive and polycentric models that incorporate the perspectives and needs of diverse communities (Bliznetskaya, 2023; Dorsch & Flachsland, 2017). The independent, multidisciplinary approach of citizen-led activist groups can provide new insights and redefine challenges and opportunities for climate governance and regulation. Despite their important role in developing effective climate action, these citizen-led groups often face significant barriers to decision-making participation, including structural, practical, and legal challenges (Berry et al., 2019; Colli, 2021; Marquardt et al., 2022; Tayler & Schulte, 2019).
DOCUMENT
Onderzoeksplatform ‘Connected Learning: ’Al ruim vijftien jaar houdt De Haagse Hogeschool zich bezig met onderzoek als deel van haar missie. Terwijl onderwijs vaak geworteld is in monodisciplinaire vakgebieden, kan met onderzoek wat makkelijker gekeken worden naar domeinen in de samenleving (zorg, veiligheid, ondernemen, etc.) waarin complexe problematiek steeds vaker wél dan niet een multidisciplinaire aanpak vereist. Bijna niemand werkt nog alleen of met alleen vakgenoten aan problemen of uitdagingen. En die veranderende beroepspraktijk is bij uitstek het domein van het hoger beroepsonderwijs. Daar leiden we voor op. Het onderzoeken van en experimenteren met nieuwe uitdagingen in de praktijk verbindt ons sterker met de samenleving, het stelt ons in staat om ons beroepsonderwijs te vernieuwen en geeft docenten, onderzoekers en studenten de kans om zich te ontwikkelen door samen te werken aan vragen en uitdagingen die de toekomst van de beroepspraktijk vorm geven. Veel onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd onder begeleiding van lectoren die samenwerken met docent-onderzoekers, studenten, en professionals in het werkveld aan veelal meerjarige onderzoeksagenda’s die lijn aanbrengen in verschillende deelactiviteiten. Een van de manieren waarop De Haagse Hogeschool onderzoek organiseert is in de vorm van onderzoeksplatforms die zich richten op verschillende domeinen van de samenleving. Wij zijn ‘Connected Learning’, een onderzoeksplatform dat zich richt op leren in de netwerksamenleving - in de samenleving zelf, maar ook in de beroepspraktijk en in ons onderwijs. Aangenaam. Wat wij doen? Daar gaat dit boek over, dus daar verklappen we hier nog niets over. Wat verwacht u als u nadenkt over onze naam? Enig idee? Geen idee? Benieuwd? Lees verder om te ontdekken wat ons inspireert, uitdaagt en nieuwsgierig maakt. Sommige van onze ideeën zijn doordacht en doorleefd omdat we er al jaren onderzoek naar doen, andere zijn nieuw en dagen ons uit om er grip op te krijgen. Wij geven met dit boek een beeld van waar we staan in 2018. Zie het als een eerste kennismaking, met de nadruk op ‘eerste’: we werken graag met veel en verschillende partners. Zie het als visitekaartje van onze onderzoeksagenda. We hopen van harte dat u zich als lezer uitgenodigd voelt om met ons samen op zoek te gaan—misschien wel naar een gezamenlijke toekomst. ‘Connected Learning’ Research Platform: For over fifteen years, The Hague University of Applied Sciences has been carrying out research as part of its mission. While education is often rooted in monodisciplinary subject areas, research allows for a broader look at areas of society (care, security, entrepreneurship etc.), where complex problems more often than not require a multidisciplinary approach. Today, barely anyone works on problems or challenges alone or solely with colleagues from within the same subject area. Universities of applied sciences are uniquely placed to deal with these changes in professional practices; after all, we train the professionals who will one day enter that field. Researching and experimenting with new challenges in professional practice allows us to connect more strongly with society, enables us to be innovative in our professional training and gives lecturers, researchers and students the opportunity to develop themselves by cooperating on the challenges and issues that will shape the future of that professional practice. Most research is carried out under the guidance of professors who cooperate with lecturers/researchers, students and the professional field, mainly on long-term research agendas that provide an outline for various sub-activities. One of the ways in which research is organised at The Hague University of Applied Sciences is in the form of research platforms that focus on various areas of society. We are ‘Connected Learning’, a research platform focusing on learning in the network society — in that society as such, but also in professional practice and our education. Nice to meet you! So, what do we do? That’s what this book is about, so we’re not going to give anything away just yet. Just thinking about our name, what do you expect we do? Any ideas? Or not a clue at all? If you’d like to find out, keep reading to find out what inspires us, what challenges we face and what drives our curiosity. Some of our ideas are well-established because we’ve been researching them for years, while other, newer ideas are more challenging to grasp. This book provides an overview of where we stand in 2018. You could see it as an initial introduction, with the emphasis on “initial”; we work with many different partners, and we enjoy doing so. Alternatively, you could see it as a calling card for our research agenda. We sincerely hope that, as a reader, you feel encouraged to join us in our quest — possibly towards a joint future.
DOCUMENT
6th European Conference for Social Work Research In this paper, qualitative data are presented and analyzed to comprehend how social workers, volunteers, and users participate and construct change within hybrid practices. In the Nordic countries, there is an increasing concern about the stability of the social cohesion and the welfare states’ ability to secure inclusion and participation of people in marginalized positions.
DOCUMENT
Lecture held by Derk-Jan Stobbelaar and Hugo Hoofwijk at the International Living Knowledge Conference in 2012 in Bonn, Germany.
DOCUMENT
Integrated river basin management (IRBM) calls for participatory practices involving stakeholders along transnational river landscapes. Understanding the complex and diverse views regarding participation is a prerequisite for meaningful involvement of civil actors, especially in a transnational context. In a case study along the Lower Rhine river, we assessed and compared cognitive perceptions towards IRBM of citizen initiatives and nature organizations from Germany and the Netherlands and their previous experiences with participation processes.We found large differences between the four actor groups in motivations to participate as well as in levels of trust towards institutions. This study also showed different views on participation between the two countries with regard to the problem definition, nature images and the perceived relationships between government organisations on the one hand and citizen initiatives and nature organisations on the other hand.The findings suggest that views vary between citizen initiatives and nature organizations within a country and that cultural notions add to the complexity of transnational participation. In transnational participation processes, the varying views between actor groups should be taken into account, as well as the complexities among countries even within actor groups.
DOCUMENT
This project builds upon a collaboration which has been established since 15 years in the field of social work between teachers and lecturers of Zuyd University, HU University and Elte University. Another network joining this project was CARe Europe, an NGO aimed at improving community care throughout Europe. Before the start of the project already HU University, Tallinn Mental Health Centre and Kwintes were participating in this network. In the course of several international meetings (e.g. CARe Europe conference in Prague in 2005, ENSACT conferences in Dubrovnik in 2009, and Brussels in April 2011, ESN conference in Brussels in March 2011), and many local meetings, it became clear that professionals in the social sector have difficulties to change current practices. There is a great need to develop new methods, which professionals can use to create community care.
DOCUMENT
Lower levels of news use are generally understood to be associated with less political engagement among citizens. But while some people simply have a low preference for news, others avoid the news intentionally. So far little is known about the relationship between active news avoidance and civic engagement in society, a void this study has set out to fill. Based on a four-wave general population panel survey in the Netherlands, conducted between April and July 2020 (N = 1,084) during a crisis situation, this research-in-brief investigates the development of news avoidance and pro-social civic engagement over time. Results suggest that higher news topic avoidance results in higher levels of civic engagement. The study discusses different explanations for why less news can mean more engagement.
DOCUMENT
Citizen participation in local renewable energy projects is often promoted as many suppose it to be a panacea for the difficulties that are involved in the energy transition process. Quite evidently, it is not; there is a wide variety of visions, ideologies and interests related to an ‘energy transition’. Such a variety is actually a precondition for a stakeholder participation process, as stakeholder participation only makes sense if there is ‘something at stake’. Conflicting viewpoints, interests and debates are the essence of participation. The success of stakeholder participation implies that these differences are acknowledged, and discussed, and that this has created mutual understanding among stakeholders. It does not necessarily create ‘acceptance’. Renewable energy projects often give rise to local conflict. The successful implementation of local renewable energy systems depends on the support of the local social fabric. While at one hand decisions to construct wind turbines in specific regions trigger local resistance, the opposite also occurs! Solar parks sometimes create a similar variation: Various communities try to prevent the construction of solar parks in their vicinity, while other communities proudly present their parks. Altogether, local renewable energy initiatives create a rather chaotic picture, if regarded from the perspective of government planning. However, if we regard the successes, it appears the top down initiatives are most successful in areas with a weak social fabric, like industrial areas, or rather recently reclaimed land. Deeply rooted communities, virtually only have successful renewable energy projects that are more or less bottom up initiatives. This paper will first sketch why participation is important, and present a categorisation of processes and procedures that could be applied. It also sketches a number of myths and paradoxes that might occur in participation processes. ‘Compensating’ individuals and/or communities to accept wind turbines or solar parks is not sufficient to gain ‘acceptance’. A basic feature of many debates on local renewable energy projects is about ‘fairness’. The implication is that decision-making is neither on pros and cons of various renewable energy technologies as such, nor on what citizens are obliged to accept, but on a fair distribution of costs and benefits. Such discussions on fairness cannot be short cut by referring to legal rules, scientific evidence, or to standard financial compensations. History plays a role as old feelings of being disadvantaged, both at individual and at group level, might re-emerge in such debates. The paper will provide an overview of various local controversies on renewable energy initiatives in the Netherlands. It will argue that an open citizen participation process can be organized to work towards fair decisions, and that citizens should not be addressed as greedy subjects, trying to optimise their own private interests, but as responsible persons.
DOCUMENT
Nixon and Metiary argue that the notion of protest needs to be included in the global education system as a distinct activity. It needs to take its place alongside other social sciences and humanities courses in the school curricula. They stress that the ability to impact society, to incite societal change, to participate through more means than voting, needs to be taught. It needs to be implemented into the global education system.
DOCUMENT
