Annual report 2020 is now online

Our annual report 2020 is now online.

The extraordinary situation due to Covid 19 created some unexpected added value for GSG in 2020. An unprecedented number of students participated in the Minor Development Studies programme, because students were able to follow the courses at a distance of thousands of kilometres from Groningen. Also the online format of public lecture and seminar events made the events benefit from input of participants from far away. Led by our office manager Marloes Viet we explored the benefits of online formats for reaching out, linking, and involving new participants. Nevertheless we had to work hard to continue to run our activities to help boosting the global orientation and the international profile of the various faculties and the university of Groningen at large in our four fields of operation, namely 1) organising public events, 2) supporting staff of faculty in new projects and programmes, and 3) facilitating education and research on global issues and 4) formulating grant applications for GSG’s activities.

The honorary professorship of Max van den Berg in Global Governance and Sustainable Livelihood again resulted in a range of visible public activities on Europe, Brexit, Tax havens, Development Cooperation and effects of Covid on the South, involving prominent speakers like Bert Koenders, members of parliament, and high-level ministerial representatives. The global Youth, Education Work 2 (YEW) network, coordinated from GSG, also organised a range of webinars and other activities, just like our GSG-hosted network Illicit Trade, Exceptius and the affiliated centres such as the Centre for East Asian Studies Groningen (CEASG). In March 2020 also a one-million project under the Dutch Orange Knowledge Programme was awarded to GSG to support the renewal of professional education in Northern Mozambique.

In terms of staffing, GSG navigated under blustery conditions in the year 2020. Dr. Arjan van der Assem succeeded our interim director dr. Gerda van Roozendaal in March 2020 as a temporary assignment, and was in turn succeeded in 2021 by prof. Tjalling Halbertsma who also leads the Centre for East Asian Studies Groningen (CEASG). From this new stable basis GSG renews its staff establishment with three staff members retiring in 2021. Apart from new staff the board of Governors of GSG will also be expanded in 2021.

Globalisation Studies Groningen, as a well-established research-institute, has proven to be a relevant and timely initiative given the topical agendas developing both with at the University of Groningen and the global level. The RUG policy to initiate four interdisciplinary Schools focusing on core societal challenges is much welcomed by GSG. We are sure that GSG can be a boosting factor in actually shaping global initiatives of these interdisciplinary Schools. The challenges on the global agenda today point in the same direction: we now have next to climate change and peace and conflict, the risk of global pandemics. Each of these urgent challenges are deeply linked to the issues of global poverty and inequality. GSGaddressed topics of development and international cooperation have become more urgency than ever.

We thank all academic collaborators with in the University of Groningen and our partners abroad for our very fruitful collaboration, we thank the Faculties and Board of the University for providing the necessary core funding for GSG, and we thank the Faculty of Arts hosting the interfaculty institute.

Dr. Pieter Boele van Hensbroek Deputy Director (2010-2020)

Deputy Director (2010-2020)