Welcome to the Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC) programme at Leiden University!

How can we deal with today’s global challenges in sustainable, peaceful, fair, democratic, and effective ways? How can global events such as geopolitical shifts, ecological changes, technological innovations, and pandemics be better governed? Addressing these complex questions requires innovative, multidisciplinary approaches and an open conversation between various stakeholders. To promote such conversations, the Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC) program at Leiden University organized its first international conference on 8-10 June 2022 at Campus The Hague.

Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC) at Leiden University aims to advance knowledge and practice on how we govern – and could govern – major world-scale changes in contemporary society. These global transformations include hegemonic and other geopolitical shifts, ecological changes, technological innovations, pandemics, demographic trends, economic restructuring, reconfigured identities, and altered forms of violence and peacebuilding.

Meet the core staff behind Global Transformations and Governance Challenges, which consists of a Professor, an Assistant Professor, a Postdoctoral Researcher, a PhD Candidate, and multiple Programme Officers and Assistants.

The GTGC network currently spans over 200 researchers across 6 faculties at Leiden University. We especially foster thematic interfaculty collaborations on a wide variety of global transformations and governance challenges.

The GTGC network currently spans over 200 researchers across 6 faculties at Leiden University. We especially foster thematic interfaculty collaborations on a wide variety of global transformations and governance challenges.

The GTGC programme advances interdisciplinary research on how we govern – and could govern – major world-scale changes in contemporary society. These global transformations and governance challenges cover the themes listed here. The distinctions are not rigid, of course, and affiliated researchers often work across several thematic areas, including their interconnections.

Meet the people behind the Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC) programme. 

Every year, the Global Transformations and Governance Challenges programme organises a conference that brings together academics and policy makers.

Strategic direction of the GTGC initiative lies with a Steering Group, composed of seven members from four Leiden University faculties. Chaired by Leiden's Professor of Global Transformations and Governance Challenges, the Steering Group addresses questions such as overall vision, staffing, communications, budget, outputs and impact.