CollectieveKracht - Citizen collectives and the market: between clashing logics and innovative collaboration
2026-05-12 12:30 - 18:00 (Europe/Paris)
Over the past years, citizen collectives have grown into visible players in sectors such as energy, healthcare, housing, and food. What does their rise mean for how we organize our economy? The next CollectieveKracht event (in Dutch) will dive into this question with a keynote from Professor Irene van Staveren (ISS, Erasmus University) and five parallel interactive sessions.

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This event will take place at the Lindenberg Cultuurhuis in Nijmegen. This event is made possible by the municipality of Nijmegen.

DescriptionCitizen collectives seem to follow a different institutional logic than the market, but their actual relationship with the market is not always so clear. They redistribute economic power, potentially reduce dependence on major market players, and can even discipline markets through price pressure or new norms. At the same time, their increasing numbers raise important tensions. Does competition arise between collective and commercial providers—and is that desirable? What happens when collectives professionalize? What happens when they make a profit? Can they use market mechanisms without losing their own values, or does mission drift threaten once financial sustainability becomes more important?

This event brings together scientists, policymakers, practical experts, and representatives of citizen collectives to explore these questions in depth. For everyone who wants to understand how the economy and society are reinventing themselves from the ground up.

Annual B-SM Alumni Meeting with lecture by Tine De Moor
2026-06-12 13:30 - 18:30
What does sustainability look like in an increasingly turbulent world? The theme of this years annual Business & Society Management Almuni Meeting is ‘Sustainable Business in an increasingly Turbulent World’.

Sustainability is shaping the world around us—whether we recognise it or not. It represents a profound societal transformation that is redefining business models, reshaping stakeholder collaboration, and shifting expectations toward greater sustainability and inclusion.

Increasingly turbulent times, put global value chains under pressure, geopolitical shifts are redefining the position of the European Union in the world, and the future of the SDGs and other multilateral initiatives are being actively debated. These developments challenge established ways of doing business and call for new forms of resilience, collaboration, and engaged scholarship in a rapidly changing global landscape.

The program will kick-off with a lecture bij Professor Tine De Moor, titled: ‘Social enterprises and collective action – creating new business models?‘

For the complete program and registration go to the event website.

Symposium - Community contributions to societal challenges: Why they matter and how they work
2026-06-17 09:00 - 18:00
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?

As part of the program, Professor Tine De Moor (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University) will give a presentation.

Organizers: Denise de Ridder, Marleen Gillebaart, Lars Tummers & John de Wit on behalf of the Behavior & Institutions platform at Utrecht University

Preliminary program

Morning: Presentations followed by a panel discussion

Afternoon: Demonstrations of strategies enabling citizens to contribute as a community

Location: Johanna Hudig Building, Achter Sint Pieter 200 (Utrecht City Center)
