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'Liekuut' opinion pieces overview

02 April 2023

In ‘Liekuut’, which is the Groningen dialect for straight ahead or straightforward, we share the view of one of our academics on a topical issue every month. This is how we show that UG researchers contribute to the societal debate.

Liekuut | Drastically revise the disaster and emergency law before the next crisis
Published on:28 August 2023

Adriaan J. Wierenga, emergency law specialist, argues in favour of a thorough revision and simplification of the national emergency law before the next crisis arrives. Proper legislation could save lives.

Liekuut | The province: a peculiar level of government with an image problem
Date:10 July 2023

According to Herman Bröring, Professor of Administrative Law at the UG, the province is a level of government that is not always understood by its residents, despite the fact that it has an important function. 

Liekuut: The countryside cannot be engineered
Published on:19 June 2023

For a long time, we believed that it was possible to 'engineer' the Netherlands – and therefore the countryside. But now that the issues of climate change and the energy transition are looming, we are reaching the limits of what that engineering can achieve, says Tialda Haartsen , Professor of Rural Geography at the University of Groningen. And that means we need to rethink the way we design the countryside.

Liekuut: ‘Take pupils seriously and Dutch will flourish again’
Published on:15 May 2023

According to Prof. Mathijs Sanders, Professor of Modern Dutch Literature, the school subject Dutch has wrongfully become the subject that does not receive its deserved attention. ‘Dutch is too often seen as a “service subject” in which skills are taught to serve other subjects. If we want to respect and stimulate the pupils’ creative intelligence, we need to offer teachers career prospects and bring academic research into classrooms.

Liekuut: ‘Restricted choice hampers sustainability’
Published on:08 May 2023

During the past few years, the government has increased the energy tax on natural gas and lowered it for electricity. In doing so, the government wants to stimulate households to choose for electrical options, such as heat pumps or electric stoves, to generate heat. That's a nice idea, says Marlies Hesselman, lecturer of International Law, but we need to be careful in order to ensure that everyone can participate. In the case of energy, we are not concerned with the decisions people want to make, but with the decisions people can make.

Liekuut: ‘Regaining trust in the province of Groningen? It’s time for reliable policies’
Published on:03 April 2023

A weighty report by the Groningen parliamentary committee of inquiry on natural gas extraction is on the table. According to the committee, the government owes a debt of honour to the people of Groningen. Dr Nienke Busscher says this does not solely mean fair compensation. In her opinion, it is also time for reliable policies that are close to the residents.

Liekuut: 'No meat on your plate for a day? Yes, that helps!'
Published on:03 March 2023

During the National Week Without Meat and Dairy, there is a call to avoid eating animal products. But will that make a difference? Can you help save the world by skipping the occasional steak? Ellen van der Werff, assistant professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Groningen, says you can.

Last modified:28 August 2023 09.32 a.m.
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