We do most of our work within programmes, which we divide into the five major overarching themes below. We continuously strive to identify and strengthen the thematic overlap and interconnections between the programmes.
Applications of European knowledge and traditions
The Netherlands and Europe have a rich history that has shaped the world for better and for worse. The days when Europe ruled the world are long gone. Nevertheless, Europe has a wealth of knowledge and traditions that continue to be influential and valuable to this day.
A multitude of social and societal practices demonstrate that Europe has a history of cooperation, solidarity and human dignity. Think of trade unions and cooperatives, Rhineland thinking and polder consultation, international cooperation and the stakeholder model. At Socires, we reflect on new applications from that European history for shaping today's economy and society.
We place the question of the uniqueness of European society against the backdrop of rapidly changing geopolitical relations. How will the Netherlands and Europe position themselves in the new world order? How can we make a credible contribution to stable and fair global relations? How can we help and protect the poor and vulnerable?
Programmes related to this theme are:
Good governance in a vital society
In a vibrant society, people feel at home, heard, recognised and appreciated. They feel part of a community, as a meaningful part of a whole. People who feel safe, secure and recognised tend to trust acquaintances, strangers and institutions. They also want to contribute to society and the greater good. Politics and the economy can flourish in a society where there is a high level of trust.
Over the past fifty years, many everyday structures for meeting people have disappeared or been made redundant, replaced by bureaucracy, commerce and technocracy. Churches, community centres and associations, for example, are struggling. If people no longer meet or work together as a result, the creation of mutual trust also stagnates. Ultimately, the ability and willingness to make an effort for others and the common good also declines.
Fortunately, the cooperative spirit has not entirely disappeared from the Netherlands. Citizens still work together for their neighbourhood or local community (education, safety, care) or major social issues (such as the energy transition and housing challenges). However, initiatives do not always last. They lack staying power; citizen initiatives are often vulnerable. New social movements and initiatives can also come up against a wall of administrative incomprehension and bureaucratic discouragement. This is disastrous for (restoring) trust and maintaining a vibrant society. Can things be done differently? How? And who should take responsibility for this?
Programmes related to this theme are:
Commerce for the real economy
Geopolitical developments are accelerating the realignment of the global economy. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for Europe. The continent can boast a long and rich economic tradition that we call Rhineland: a balance between capital, labour, nature and entrepreneurship. Authors such as Michel Albert (in Capitalism contre Capitalism, 1992) and Bas van Bavel (in The Invisible Hand, 2018) have already convincingly demonstrated that Rhineland economies are robust and successful in the long term.
The Rhineland economy is characterised by structures of cooperation and consultation at all levels. We see this in the political polder: between employers, employees and the government. In the organisational form of the business community: with its many cooperatives, family businesses and SMEs. Within the business community: works councils and employee participation. Even at the workplace level: autonomy for professionals in their daily work. All these structures of cooperation have been under pressure for decades due to commercialisation, financialisation and bureaucratisation. Can we redesign these structures? How?
Banks, pension funds and governments in the Netherlands have always played a special role in supporting the real economy. Financing, supporting, advising, facilitating. As a result of digitisation, globalisation, climate change and increasing competition, among other things, their social position has changed. What role do they still play in the everyday economy and in the future of capitalism in Europe?
Programmes related to this theme are:
Fancy a post-secular society
Existential questions are universal and timeless. Modern Dutch society seems increasingly unable to provide a suitable space for people who struggle with these questions. Traditionally, this has been the domain of religious and philosophical organisations, but only a small group of people still consider seeking out these places to be natural, inspiring, attractive or safe.
With the disappearance of these connections, ways of dealing with these questions have also been lost. Think, for example, of the language to express these questions, communities to discuss and process them in an accessible way, and stories or (ritual) forms to express them. This loss of knowledge about how to deal with existential questions is now rapidly becoming apparent. For example, there has been an alarming increase in mental health problems (from loneliness to hopelessness) among young people. Many of these young people end up in mental health care. They do not belong there. Questions about life should be addressed in normal life, not in a medical setting.
We conduct research into new structures of meaning. Where do people come together to discuss life questions? When do they manage to come to terms with life? How can existing philosophical traditions and religious communities meet current existential needs? What role do rituals, places of significance and sanctity, and moral pioneers play?
Programmes related to this theme are:
Integral Ecology
Integral ecology is based on the idea that ecological and social systems go hand in hand. Climate, environment, economy, society and quality of life: everything influences and is connected to everything else. In 2015, Pope Francis wrote a powerful document – the encyclical Laudato Si' - containing an in-depth cultural analysis of the fundamental ecological and social problems facing society today. Our technocratic mentality, the drive for economic growth and hyperglobalisation, individualisation, populism and short-term political thinking – these are all factors that have led us to take increasingly poor care of the earth and each other.
Pope Francis advocates a “global ecological conversion” of individuals and society based on the idea of integral ecology. Instead of falling back on technocratic solutions, he calls for dialogue and responsibility in order to bring about a fundamental change in behaviour, lifestyle, thinking and ethics worldwide. For society as a whole, for the institutions within it and for each individual separately. It is a letter to all people of good will, about caring for our common home.
Programmes related to this theme are: