NL

The Netherlands is facing major societal challenges, including housing shortages, climate change, the energy transition and the liveability of neighbourhoods. At the same time, many people feel they have less influence over their lives and communities, while trust in public institutions is under pressure. Yet across the country, citizens are coming together to create positive change. Increasing numbers of citizen collectives are working collaboratively on local solutions for housing, energy, care, sustainability, food systems and community development.

Citizen collectives can play an important role in addressing societal transitions. But what makes these initiatives resilient and effective? How can their impact be strengthened? And how can governments and citizens work together as equal partners? These questions lie at the heart of ECCO (Empowering Citizen COllectives in Societal Transitions), a large-scale research programme that brings together science, society and government.

Supported by the Dutch National Research Agenda, a broad consortium of universities, public authorities, municipalities and civil society organisations is developing new knowledge, models and practical tools to strengthen citizen collectives. The knowledge-sharing platform CollectieveKracht plays a central role through its pioneering exteme citizen science approach.

ECCO helps citizen collectives gain access to knowledge, skills and tools for local action, while providing governments with better insights into the institutional logic of citizen collectives and the value they create for society. Together, we are building stronger communities, greater mutual trust and a future in which citizens and governments shape societal transitions side by side.

News

ECCO is a collaboration between: