Room For Discussion

We lezen veel over criminaliteit in het nieuws. Zware misdaad is aan de orde van de dag, steeds vaker lijkt georganiseerde criminaliteit hier ook deel van uit te maken. Criminele activiteiten lijken steeds verder door te sijpelen in de samenleving. Klopt dit beeld van toenemende criminaliteit? Hoe heeft zware criminaliteit en georganiseerde misdaad zich ontwikkeld de afgelopen jaren? En wat betekent dit voor de samenleving? Dit soort vragen zullen worden besproken in ons gesprek met Jonne Janssen, het Sectiehoofd Dienst Regionale Recherche van Amsterdam.Interviewers: Loïs Kok (@loiiskok) en Abel van Toorn (@abelvantoorn)

Must Central Banks go green? If so how? Why hasn't there been any inflation this year after gigantic stimulus packages? Is inflation gonna happen in the future? And why is there such a large discrepancy between the stock market and the real economy?These questions and more will be discussed with Olaf Sleijpen, executive director of the Dutch central bank and alternate member of the governing council of the ECB.Interviewers: Tim Vree & Abel van Toorn

We are honoured to announce that we will be interviewing Lucette ter Borg and Carola Houtekamer. Two renowned investigative journalists for the NRC who wrote the article on Julian Andeweg that is the inspiration for this interview.Besides being an award-winning novelist, Lucette ter Borg is also a well-known art critic writing mainly on the Dutch art scene. She has recently also published work on the lack of diversity within Dutch art institutions. Carola Houtekamer has worked as an editor on manufacturing, construction and tech for the NRC. And she has recently written investigative pieces on datacentres in the Wieringermeerpolder and the impact of windmills.The article we will be discussing is on the troubling case of Dutch artist Julian Andeweg. A three-month-long investigation by ter Borg and Houtekamer uncovered a trial of accusations of rape, harassment, violence and theft dating back to Andeweg's time at the art school KABK. The incompetence in dealing with these allegations of Dutch art institutions s

Professor Jack Goldstone is the man who over ten years ago developed a model that predicted the onset of massive social unrest in the United States beginning “around 2020". Incidentally, just two days ago Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. In this age of social unrest, from the George Floyd protests in the US, to the yellow vest protests in France and anti-lockdown protests in Germany, across the world, people are taking to the streets and rebelling against the establishment.Many people are struggling to understand what is driving continuing social unrest in the West. For some it might seem like this age of unrest came out of nowhere and was totally unpredictable. But not for Professor Jack Goldstone, leading sociologist, political scientist, and historian. With his model, he purports to be able to boil down the drivers of political instability to just three factors. Having successfully applied this model to revolutions and periods of instability both past and present, he is a leading scholar on revol

Vaccination is a big topic with the current Covid crisis happening in the whole world. Most talkshows, columns and interviews talk with medical experts about the implementation and the impact they will have on society. However, in this interview, Room for Discussion wants to explore the ethical and legal sides of this topic. Mandatory vaccination, vaccination passports, vaccination sceptics, all these subjects are of high importance to think about and deal with covid, besides just the medical analyses.Roland Pierik is an academic experts on this topic, researching it for years. As member of the Dutch Health Council and the Dutch Commission on Vaccination, we can be sure that this interview will provide us with multiple new insights into the current vaccination programme.

For the last 20 years questions of immigration and identity have been at the heart of our politics, yet we have made almost no progress. Why is Özdil not a Dutch name? How did the Netherlands become more ethnically segregated than America? Why are riots in the Schilderswijk an integration problem, but riots in Urk not? To answer these questions, we’ve invited Zihni Özdil, historian, columnist and former member of parliament for GroenLinks. Yet unlike most of his left-leaning compatriots, Özdil believes that we should do away with the old multicultural consensus in favour of “inclusive” nationalism.Together with him, we will explore the struggle for acceptance and belonging among those of migrant origin, the historic roots of the Dutch migration story and how we can achieve a truly inclusive national identity.

Benedicte Ficq is een van de beste strafpleiters van Nederland. Ze verdedigde beruchte namen zoals Dino Soerel, Marcel Teunissen, Badr Hari en Jan-Dirk Paarlberg, en is ze deel van het team dat Ridouan Taghi bijstaat. Daarnaast houdt ze grote vervuilers en bedrijven die gezondheidsproblemen veroorzaken aansprakelijk. Zo spande zij een paar jaar geleden een grote zaak aan tegen de tabaksindustrie, en sleept zij nu Tata Steel voor de rechter.Hoe gaat ze om met grote criminelen, wat wilde ze eigenlijk bereiken met het aanklagen van de tabaksindustrie en wat maakt haar nou specifiek zo’n ontzettend goede advocaat?Wil je graag de antwoorden op deze en nog vele andere vragen horen?Kijk dan gou mee!Interviewers: Rifka Roos (@rifka__r) en Pelle Padmos (@pellepadmos)

We worden nu al een jaar getergd door de Corona crisis. HORECA en andere sectoren hebben het zwaar, maar wat zijn de precieze economische gevolgen van de corona crisis, en hoe komen we daar weer bovenop?Wat doet de overheid? En is dat verstandig? Zitten wij zo met een enorme staatsschuld of maakt dat eigenlijk niet zoveel uit?Bas Jacobs is professor Overheidsfinanciën aan de Erasmus Universiteit, hij kan ons precies vertellen hoe het met onze economie gaat, wat we kunnen verwachten en hoe nu verder.Interviewers: Floyd en Abel

Whether its Russian troops massing on the Ukrainian border, Turkey’s confrontations with Greece and France or the retreat of the United States from Europe, the strength of the NATO alliance is being challenged at every turn. Where does this place European Security?To answer this question, we’ve invited former Secretary General of NATO and former Dutch minister of foreign affairs, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer for an interview on the 29th of april at 12:00 till 13:00. Together with him we’ll discuss the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, the challenges to the unity of NATO, whether Europe should become a geopolitical heavyweight and the future of European Security.Interviewers: Simba and Renze

Halsema studeerde Algemene Sociale Wetenschappen (ASW) met een specialisatie in Criminologie aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Ze was tot 1997 lid van de Partij van de Arbeid, maar verruilde deze voor GroenLinks toen ze door Paul Rosenmöller werd gevraagd zich voor die partij te kandideren voor de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen van 1998. Met plek 3 op de lijst haalde ze eenvoudig een zetel. In 2003 werd ze fractievoorzitter van GroenLinks, waar ze pleitte voor een links-liberale in plaats van socialistische koers en pleitte ze voor meer linkse samenwerking.In 2018 werd Halsema burgemeester van onze hoofdstad waarmee ze de populaire Eberhard van der Laan (PvdA) opvolgde, die na zijn overlijden tijdelijk door Jozias van Aartsen (VVD) was vervangen. Hiermee werd Halsema de eerste vrouwelijke en eerste GroenLinks burgemeester van Amsterdam.Haar burgemeesterschap kende in de afgelopen drie jaar veel uitdagingen. Zo werd haar zoon in 2019 gearresteerd voor wapenbezit, kreeg ze veel kritiek te verduren toen ze in juni vorig ja

Op 28 mei interviewen wij schrijver en Nederlands student Lale Gül. Zij schreef een autobiografische roman over haar ervaringen in een conservatief Turks Islamitisch huishouden. Na het publiceren van haar boek werd ze overspoelt met haar reacties en zelfs bedreigingen. De gespannen situatie thuis bereikte ook een hoogtepunt, waardoor Gül haar ouderlijk huis moest verlaten.In voorgaande interviews werd er vooral gesproken over de reacties op haar boek van haar omgeving en de maatschappij. Wij willen het echter hebben over Lale Gül als schrijver, opiniemarker en leeftijdsgenoot.Interviewers: Loïs en Simba

We are honoured to welcome the next President of the European Council, and former prime minister of Belgium, Charles Michel. Mr. Michel does not only have a significant relationship with the European Union, but he also has his own personal relationship with the University of Amsterdam as a former alumnus. The interview will not only touch upon the president-elect’s prior experience at the UvA, but they will also dive into the topics of Europe Divided, the European Project, Europe’s Global Position, and ultimately what his position as the next president of the European Council will mean for our Union in the coming years.

Deirdre McCloskey, Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She was also a visiting Professor of Philosophy for 5 years at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam. How can we think of liberalism in the 21st century? What kind of transformations has the idea of liberalism faced over the course of history, and to what extent are these applicable to our current political and economic realities? With Professor McCloskey we aim to delve into what produces 'bourgeois virtues', and understand how her religious beliefs can fit into the mould of liberal values. The discussion will centre on issues that are paramount to the disciplines of philosophy, governance, politics, morality and economic history.

Jill Lepore is Professor of American History at Harvard University and a journalist at The New Yorker. She specialises in American history, specifically early American history and undocumented history. During our interview with Lepore, we will focus on history as a subject and the implications it has had for society today. How do politicians like Donald Trump use history? How has the way we remember history affected minorities? Apart from this, the questions of whether these truths are self-evident and how the lack of these truths has changed America will be explored extensively during the session.

Dan Ariely joins us as we discuss the irrational behaviours that underpin our actions and the implications that they have for society, as well as the solutions employed to address them. In addition, we will talk about global societal issues that are a result of our own irrational behaviour. From inequality to the online dating market; we will try to pin down how structures that can correct for our own irrationality can be expected to help.

The Democratic Party is changing.From establishment to non-establishment; from centrists to progressive; from universal basic income to abolishment of private insurance, it seems odd that *one* party can encompass the vast differences in policy proposals, sentiments, and ideologies that are taking place within it under *one* name.With the election of President Donald Trump we’ve seen dramatic overhauls within the United States congress. If there is one thing that unifies the Democrats, it’s an unparalleled hatred for the current President of the United States.However; will a common strive to get rid of the current president result in deeper cuts within the Democratic party? Or will the new nominee reveal the new face of the democrats, rather than a break off from it?With George Blaustein, Senior Lecturer of American Studies at the UvA, we will do our best to understand, predict, and discuss the future of the Democratic Party.

The interview will touch upon the economic and political dynamics between Europe and China. We will attempt to understand how China’s actions within Europe are shaped by its world vision. In addition, we will ask how the domestic and internal politics between these two regions contribute to these dynamics.We are joined by Ties Dams and Alexandr Lagazzi. Ties Dams is a writer and strategist. He has been studying the Chinese state since his studies as a philosopher, political scientist, and economist in Utrecht, London, and China. He is also the author of the book, ‘De Nieuwe Keizer,’ which details the life of the most powerful man in China, Xi Jinping. Alexandr Lagazzi, holds a BA in International Economic Relations and Diplomacy from the Faculty of International Relations of the University of Economics in Prague. Alexandr Lagazzi is an expert in the fields of international economic relations and diplomacy, international security and terrorism.

H.E. Mr. Ranieri Sabatucci, is the Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to the African Union. In his 30 years with the European Institutions, he has covered thematic areas ranging from trade and development to Political and Peace and Security, having worked out of Brussels, Dar-Es Salaam and Pretoria.The interview revolved around the relationship between the European Union and the African Union. How does the EU's position compare to that of China? Further, we will ask what the future of the African Union entails. This and more during our interview with the Ambassador.

Although many of us have been sweltering this summer in what has been the hottest month ever recorded, international investors and market analysts have been sweating for different reasons. Dark clouds are looming over the global economy, as a No-Deal Brexit becomes ever more likely, the US-China trade war worsens, recession in several countries is bearing down, and central bankers are struggling to find new monetary policy instruments. All this is represented by an inverted yield curve in US treasury bills, an omen of a potential future downturn. What, then, should we expect from the global economy in 2020 and what should we do to avoid another global recession? To help us answer these questions and more is Chief Economist of the IMF, Dr. Gita Gopinath. Dr. Gopinath is an expert and leading scholar in exchange rates, sovereign debt, and capital flows. As well as being Chief Economist of the IMF, Dr. Gopinath is also the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University’s ec

We are proud to announce we will be hosting Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, on the 15th of May. After having obtained his degree at Oxford, Wolf went to become a senior economist at the World Bank before turning to financial journalism. To understand Wolf’s influence, one must first understand his audience. They are dedicated Financial Times readers and as Wolf put it: “I’m writing for the people who are doing these things, who are running these things, both governmental and politicians and financiers”.The discussion will revolve around two topics:– The importance of economic and financial journalism.Our world has become increasingly financialized and the consequences of this development were felt during the financial crisis. What role does financial journalism play in keeping the financial sector in check? And to what extent does the attack on established media outlets affect the FT?– The economic challenges of the coming decade.Where is economics needed most in the coming de