COVID-19 has shaken the world. It has already led to the loss or devastation of countless lives, while many people in vital professions are working day and night to attend to the sick and stop further spread. Personal and social losses, and the fight to stop these, demand our continued respect and support. At the same time, it is critical to view this pandemic in historical context in order to avoid repeating past mistakes when we plan for the future.
The fact that COVID-19 has already had such a major economic impact is due, amongst other factors, to the economic development model that has been dominant globally over the last 30 years. This model demands ever-growing circulation of goods and people, despite the countless ecological problems and growing inequalities it generates. Over the last few weeks, the weaknesses of the neoliberal growth machine have been painfully exposed. Amongst other issues we have seen: large companies pleading for immediate state support once effective demand falls away for even a short time; insecure jobs being lost or put on hold; and further strain placed on already underfunded healthcare systems. People who recently confronted the government in their struggles for recognition and decent salaries are now, remarkably, considered to have ‘vital professions’ in healthcare, elderly care, public transport and education.
A further weakness of the current system, and one that is not yet prominent in discussions of the pandemic, is the link between economic development, the loss of biodiversity and important ecosystem functions, and the opportunity for diseases like COVID-19 to spread among humans. These are lethal links and could become much more so. The WHO has already estimated that, globally, 4.2 million people die each year from outdoor air pollution, and that the impacts of climate change are expected to cause 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. Experts warn that with further severe degradation of ecosystems – a scenario that is to be expected under the current economic model – chances for further and even stronger virus outbreaks on top of these unfolding catastrophes are realistic.
All this requires drastic and integrated action and makes it critical to start planning for a postCOVID-19 world as soon as possible. While some short-term positive social and environmental impacts have emerged in the crisis—such as community support, local organizing and solidarity, less pollution and GHG emissions—these changes will be temporary and marginalized without concerted efforts for broader political and economic change. It is therefore necessary to envision how this current situation could lead to a more sustainable, fair, equitable, healthy, and resilient form of (economic) development going forward.
This brief manifesto signed by 170 Netherlands-based scholars working on issues around development aims to summarize what we know to be critical and successful policy strategies for moving forward during and after the crisis.
We propose five key policy proposals for a post-COVID-19 development model, all of which can be implemented immediately and sustained after this particular crisis has subsided:
1) a move away from development focused on aggregate GDP growth to differentiate among sectors that can grow and need investment (the so-called critical public sectors, and clean energy, education, health and more) and sectors that need to radically degrow due to their fundamental unsustainability or their role in driving continuous and excessive consumption (especially private sector oil, gas, mining, advertising, and so forth);
2) an economic framework focused on redistribution, which establishes a universal basic income rooted in a universal social policy system, a strong progressive taxation of income, profits and wealth, reduced working hours and job sharing, and recognizes care work and essential public services such as health and education for their intrinsic value;
3) agricultural transformation towards regenerative agriculture based on biodiversity conservation, sustainable and mostly local and vegetarian food production, as well as fair agricultural employment conditions and wages;
4) reduction of consumption and travel, with a drastic shift from luxury and wasteful consumption and travel to basic, necessary, sustainable and satisfying consumption and travel;
5) debt cancellation, especially for workers and small business owners and for countries in the global south (both from richer countries and international financial institutions).
As academics, we are convinced that this policy vision will lead to more sustainable, equal and diverse societies based on international solidarity, and ones that can better prevent and deal with shocks and pandemics to come. For us the question is no longer whether we need to start implementing these strategies, but how we go about it. As we acknowledge those groups hardest hit by this particular crisis in the Netherlands and beyond, we can do justice to them by being proactive in ensuring that a future crisis will be much less severe, cause much less suffering or not happen at all. Together with many other communities, in the Netherlands and globally, we believe the time is right for such a positive and meaningful vision going forward. We urge politicians, policy-makers and the general public to start organizing for their implementation sooner rather than later.
Signed:
- Murat Arsel, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Ellen Bal, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Bosman Batubara, IHE, Delft Universiteit en Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Maarten Bavinck, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Pascal Beckers, Radboud Universiteit
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Kees Biekart, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Arpita Bisht, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Cebuan Bliss, Radboud Universiteit
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Rutgerd Boelens, Wageningen Universiteit
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Simone de Boer, Leiden Universiteit
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Jun Borras, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Suzanne Brandon, Wageningen Universiteit
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Arjen Buijs, Wageningen Universiteit
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Bram Büscher, Wageningen Universiteit
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Amrita Chhachhi, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Kristen Cheney, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Robert Coates, Wageningen Universiteit
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Dimitris Dalakoglou, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Jampel Dell’Angelo, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Josephine Chambers, Wageningen Universiteit
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Freek Colombijn, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Tine Davids, Radboud Universiteit
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Sierra Deutsch, Wageningen Universiteit
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Madi Ditmars, Afrika Studiecentrum Leiden
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Guus Dix, Leiden Universiteit
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Martijn Duineveld, Wageningen Universiteit
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Henk Eggens, Royal Tropical Institute
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Thomas Eimer, Radboud Universiteit
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Flávio Eiró, Radboud Universiteit
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Willem Elbers, Radboud Universiteit
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Jaap Evers, IHE Delft Universiteit
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Giuseppe Feola, Utrecht Universiteit
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Milja Fenger, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Andrew Fischer, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Robert Fletcher, Wageningen Universiteit
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Judith Floor, Open Universiteit en Wageningen Universiteit
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Des Gasper, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Lennie Geerlings, Leiden Universiteit
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Julien-François Gerber, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Jan Bart Gewald, African Studies Centre Leiden
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Sterre Gilsing, Utrecht Universiteit
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Cristina Grasseni, Leiden Universiteit
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Erella Grassiani, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Joyeeta Gupta, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Wendy Harcourt, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Janne Heederik, Radboud Universiteit
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Henk van den Heuvel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Silke Heumann, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Thea Hilhorst, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Helen Hintjens, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Geoffrey Hobbis, Groningen Universiteit
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Stephanie Hobbis, Wageningen Universiteit
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Barbara Hogenboom, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Michaela Hordijk, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Sabine van der Horst, Utrecht Universiteit
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Henk van Houtum, Radboud Universiteit
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Edward Huijbens, Wageningen Universiteit
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Kees Jansen, Wageningen Universiteit
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Freek Janssens, Leiden Universiteit
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Rosalba Icaza, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Verina Ingram, Wageningen Economic Research en Wageningen Universiteit
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Rivke Jaffe, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Shyamika Jayasundara-Smits, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Joop de Jong, Amsterdam UMC
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Rik Jongenelen, African Studies Centre, Leiden
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Joost Jongerden, Wageningen Universiteit
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Emanuel de Kadt, Utrecht Universiteit
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Coco Kanters, Leiden Universiteit.
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Agnieszka Kazimierczuk, African Studies Centre Leiden
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Jeltsje Kemerink-Seyoum, IHE Delft Universiteit
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Thomas Kiggell, Wageningen Universiteit
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Mathias Koepke, Utrecht Universiteit
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Michiel Köhne, Wageningen Universiteit
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Anouk de Koning, Leiden Universiteit
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Kees Koonings, Utrecht Universiteit en Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Stasja Koot, Wageningen Universiteit
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Michelle Kooy, IHE Delft Universiteit
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Martijn Koster, Radboud Universiteit
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Rachel Kuran, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Arnoud Lagendijk, Radboud Universiteit
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Corinne Lamain, Erasmus Universiteit
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Irene Leonardelli, IHE Delft Universiteit
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Maggi Leung, Utrecht Universiteit
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Yves van Leynseele, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Janwillem Liebrand, Utrecht Universiteit
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Trista Chich-Chen Lin, Wageningen Universiteit
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Andrew Littlejohn, Leiden Universiteit
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Mieke Lopes-Cardozo, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Erik de Maaker, Leiden Universiteit
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Žiga Malek, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Ellen Mangnus, Wageningen Universiteit
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Hans Marks, Radboud Universiteit
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Jemma Middleton, Leiden Universiteit
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Irene Moretti, Leiden Universiteit.
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Esther Miedema, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Toon van Meijl, Radboud Universiteit
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Miriam Meissner, Maastricht Universiteit
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Adam Moore, Radboud Universiteit
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Tsegaye Moreda, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Oona Morrow, Wageningen Universiteit
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Farhad Mukhtarov, Erasmus Universiteit
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Nikki Mulder, Leiden Universiteit
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Mansoob Murshed, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Paul Mutsaers, Radboud Universiteit
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Femke van Noorloos, Utrecht Universiteit
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Martijn Oosterbaan, Utrecht Universiteit
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Meghann Ormond, Wageningen Universiteit
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Annet Pauwelussen, Wageningen Universiteit
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Peter Pels, Leiden Universiteit
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Lee Pegler, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Lorenzo Pellegrini, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Yvon van der Pijl, Universiteit Utrecht
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Liedeke Plate, Radboud Universiteit
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Fernande Pool, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Metje Postma, Leiden Universiteit
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Nicky Pouw, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Crelis Rammelt, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Elisabet Rasch, Wageningen Universiteit
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Marina de Regt, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Ria Reis, Leiden Universiteit Medical Center
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Andro Rilović, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Tobias Rinke de Wit (Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Claudia Rodríguez Orrego, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Eva van Roekel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Mirjam Ros-Tonen, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Martin Ruivenkamp, Wageningen Universiteit
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Ary A. Samsura, Planologie, Radboud Universiteit
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Annemarie Samuels, Leiden Universiteit
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Ton Salman, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Younes Saramifar, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Federico Savini, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Joeri Scholtens, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Mindi Schneider, Wageningen Universiteit
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Lau Schulpen, Radboud Universiteit
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Peter Schumacher, Utrecht Universiteit
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Amod Shah, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Murtah Shannon, Utrecht Universiteit
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Karin Astrid Siegmann, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Sven da Silva, Radboud Universiteit 140. Giulia Sinatti, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Lothar Smit, Radboud Universiteit
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Marja Spierenburg, Leiden Universiteit
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Rachel Spronk, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Antonia Stanojevic, Radboud Universiteit
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Nora Stel, Radboud Universiteit
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Marjo de Theije, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Louis Thiemann, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Lisa Trogisch, Wageningen Universiteit
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Wendelien Tuyp, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Esther Veen, Wageningen Universiteit
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Lieke van der Veer, Radboud Universiteit
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Courtney Vegelin, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Hemalatha Venkataraman, Radboud Universiteit
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Willemijn Verkoren, Radboud Universiteit
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Gerard Verschoor, Wageningen Universiteit
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Hebe Verrest, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Bas Verschuuren, Wageningen Universiteit
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Mark Vicol, Wageningen Universiteit
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Oanne Visser, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Anick Vollebergh, Radboud Universiteit
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Roanne van Voorst, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
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Pieter de Vries, Wageningen Universiteit
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Vincent Walstra, Leiden Universiteit.
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Maaike Westra, African Studies Centre Leiden
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Mark Westmoreland, Leiden Universiteit
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Niekkie Wiegink, Utrecht Universiteit
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Saskia Wieringa, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Angela Wigger, Radboud Universiteit
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Han Wiskerke, Wageningen Universiteit
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Margreet Zwarteveen, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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