Leiden Centre for Sustainability Governance

Transforming governance for a just & sustainable future

Crises such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity pose serious challenges for public governance across all scales, from local communities to global institutions. Public governance encompasses the processes, institutions, and mechanisms through which societies make collective decisions and implement policies to navigate these shared challenges. The Leiden Centre for Sustainability Governance contributes to addressing these governance challenges with a core focus on sustainability governance that ensures inclusive well-being in the transition to a sustainable society.

Inclusive well-being concerns the conditions for all humans and non-humans to live decent and healthy lives, meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Rather than simply applying traditional governance approaches to sustainability challenges, we aim to fundamentally transform governance itself into what we call "sustainability governance" – an approach that integrates social, environmental, and economic considerations into all decision-making processes.

Our scholarship emphasizes cross-disciplinary approaches at the nexus of environmental sustainability, public policy, and governance systems. Through our research and teaching activities, we partner with experts from diverse fields including ecological sciences, soil and agricultural specialists, life sciences researchers, toxicology experts, and other related disciplines.

Our findings appear in leading academic publications across both specialized and multidisciplinary venues. Located in The Hague, we maintain robust connections with governmental bodies at municipal and national levels, prioritizing societal impact and practical application of our work. We are open to partnerships with interested organizations through multiple avenues, including collaborative thesis research and participation in Sustainability Challenges—integral components of our Master's programs in Governance of Sustainability, Industrial Ecology, Public Administration, and Management van de Publieke Sector.

As part of the Institute of Public Administration, we work together with two sister centers— —all operating under the Public Policy and Innovation division.