An opening note from the chairs:

Hello, Room for Discussion community!

We are very grateful to have the opportunity to build this space for productive dialogue with you for another year. As you know, our last Lustrum year brought us many insightful discussions but also new challenges. However, the difficulties we faced made us even more dedicated to having the difficult conversations on our stage. We are sure that with your help, we can keep the mission of our platform alive and provide you with many opportunities to ask questions to politicians, scholars, ministers, and CEOs.

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you at one of our events this year!

PS: Our first borrel for this application round is this Tuesday at Krater!

In this newsletter:

• Applications are open! 📧

• Upcoming interviews this month 📅

• A recap on June ⏰

Are you passionate about economics, politics and societal issues? Looking to boost your CV while having the chance to interview prominent figures like Christine Lagarde, Thomas Piketty, Charles Michel, and Peter Singer live on stage?

If that sounds exciting, you’ll also love our borrels, social events, and the chance to connect with like-minded people.

If you have any questions or just want to chat, join us for a borrel in Krater on Tuesday, September 17th, from 18:00 to 20:00! All the beer you want is on us! 🍻

Standing Strong – Economic Solutions in Uncertain Times with Guy Standing

Room for Discussion is honoured to welcome Guy Standing, a British Labour economist, co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and professor of Development Studies at the University of London. It will be a conversation offering insights into the changing dynamics of work, inequality, and social justice in today’s world.

Is neoliberalism fundamentally shortsighted? What is the ‘precariat’ class and how does it gain significance in today’s political landscape? How can we create a fairer and more inclusive economy? Is Universal Basic Income the answer to poverty and automation?

In order to get answers to all of these questions, make sure to join us for the interview in the E-Hall on September 17th, 13:00-14:00!

Money Mischiefs: Exploring Financial Crimes with Hennie Verbeek-Kusters

Has your bank card ever been blocked “out of nowhere”? Who makes sure that the money in our financial system is not used for illegal purposes? Can we trace the money flow related to terrorist financing or money laundering? And how to respond to the globalisation of financial crime? 

Room for Discussion is honoured to welcome Hennie Verbeek-Kusters, Head of Financial Intelligence Unit-Netherlands and former Chair of the Egmont Group. FIU collects financial information from private actors such as traditional and challenger banks, art dealers or casinos and reports suspicious transactions to law enforcement agencies. Our guest has spent her career as the leader of such an institution both on a domestic and international level. Join us for this unique opportunity!

To get answers to all of those questions, join us for the interview in the E-Hall on 20th of September, 13:00-14:00!

A recap of our June interviews:

Lustrum: Defending our values? With Minister of Defence Ollongren, June 5

As the final interview of our lustrum series, we interviewed outgoing defense minister Kasja Ollongren to talk about the steps she’s taken to increase Dutch military preparedness and the road ahead for her successor at the Marineterrein in Amsterdam. During the interview, she reflected on her vision on European Collective Security and the purpose of the Dutch military. She also discussed in depth the stances of the Netherlands regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel’s war against Hamas.

Lustrum: Super League or Superfluous? Football Controversies with Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22 Sports, The Super League, June 11

As part of our Lustrum series, we hosted Bernd Reichard, CEO of A22 sports and the SuperLeague to talk about the future of football. The announcement of the SuperLeague shocked the entire football community and while it has not seen its first match yet, Bernd is hopeful to see the first matches in the near future. In the interview he also reflected on the role of the UEFA in current club football and his plan to change it. We also addressed the fierce backlash in the football community to his proposal.

Thinking beyond Patterns with Arend Lijphart: Democracies & Decline in the Twenty-First Century, June 11

On June 11th, we hosted an online live evening event with Arend Lijphart, Emeritus Professor at the University of California, San Diego. Professor Lijphart has been studying how to govern divided societies for over fifty years. He is most well known for his work on consociationalism, and his work on consensus and majoritarian democracies. His seminal publication, “Patterns of Democracy”, as well as other writings, have been studied by our political science professors and have shaped the discipline. 

Professor Lijphart joined us on zoom from Northern California. We were happy to hold a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation about political and electoral systems, power-sharing, and the challenges facing democracies today.

Faith in Politics? A Conversation with Gert-Jan Segers, June 29

In our final interview of this academic year, we hosted former head of the CU Gert-Jan Segers on our couches. We talked about the hardened discussion climate, the role of faith in politics, and the upcoming government. Segers reflected on his own role in the last two governments and the ultimate electoral response. Further, he argued for all of us to “love each other a bit more”.