Spring for everyone: KCPEG symposium on existence insecurity shows both urgency and solutions
Policy, science and practice come together in the former orphanage during the Spring symposium 2025.
On a sunny afternoon in early June, the KCPEB Spring symposium ‘Spring for everyone’ was held in Leiden’s former orphanage, organised by the Expertise Centre for Psychology and Economic Behaviour. The theme of existence security and insecurity built further on the earlier Autumn Symposium. How is this issue regarded from the different perspectives of policy, science and practice? And more importantly: what can we do to increase existence security for everyone?
Jet Bussemaker: ‘Existence insecurity is a problem for society’
According to Professor Jet Bussemaker, the title of the symposium is a perfect fit for the Bloesem (Blossom) project in The Hague, which looks at what single parents and their children need to flourish. Busssemaker showed how existence insecurity has a deep impact on people’s health: ‘People with a lower level of education live on average twenty years longer in poor health than their better educated counterparts.’
This is often regarded as a healthcare problem, but Bussemaker believes the causes lie much deeper. An unsafe home, debts or the lack of a social network cause stress, and that has a big impact on health. ‘Try to discover the question behind the question,’ she urges. ‘The problem that a person presents with is often just the tip of the iceberg.’ She therefore advocates policies that are not just focused on individual behaviour but also on the collaboration between different parties, such as neighbourhood teams, experiential experts and local authorities. By working together, they can offer more comprehensive support.
Nadine Raaphorst: ‘Make social inequality a talking point at street level’
Dr Nadine Raaphorst, assistant professor at Leiden University, researches how workers involved in implementing policy actually put this into practice. These professionals are the ones who visit people and see what policy actually does or doesn’t do. Based on interviews, Raaphorst shows how decisions in practice often go much further than simply following rules. Every situation is unique and calls for an individual response. However, that’s easier said than done: rules and legislation leave little room for manoeuvre. This is why Raaphorst calls for a shared perspective within government organisations. Only when we recognise that people have an unequal starting position can we really factor inequality into street-level practice. And that starts with listening to professionals in the field: ‘They see the consequences of policy every day and know what’s needed.’
Marlies Tiepel and Greet Meesters
The importance of practical, low-threshold support is powerfully illustrated by Marlies Tiepel and Greet Meesters from BuZz Leiden. As part of the De Geldparade (the Money Parade) initiative, they literally go out into the local neighbourhood. They knock on doors and talk to people about money matters, a subject that many people are sensitive about. They often don’t know where to turn for help, so BuZz brings the help to them.
Residents not only receive a shopping voucher, but are also guided towards appropriate support. This approach not only helps reduce their financial insecurity, but also strengthens their confidence in the support system. The BuZz Leiden initiative shows that existence security can be strengthened at neighbourhood level if you actively seek out the people who otherwise wouldn’t dare to ask for help.
Building on a spring for everyone
The symposium showed that existence security is not a question of individual responsibility, but of structural choices. Whether it is scientists who make inequality visible, policymakers who need to create opportunity, or community organisations who literally ring the doorbell: what’s needed is collaboration. Only then is it possible to build towards a society where everyone has the opportunity to flourish: a spring for everyone.
Kirsten Zitman, founder of BuZz
Kirsten Zitman: ‘I started BuZz Leiden five years ago with the aim of making sure that all Leiden residents have a social and practical base on which they can build. We work with people who have difficulty with reading or writing, for example, or who have hardly been outside their homes in a long time. By literally knocking on their door and gaining their trust, we help them find their way to support and growth. That could include things like language training, help with managing stress or just a reason to go outside their home. Existence security is about more than money. It’s also about perspective, meaningfulness and connection. That’s why it’s so important that this symposium focuses on experiences from the local neighbourhood.’
Sverre van der Burg, recent graduate
‘I’m here as a recently graduated master’s student. I studied Applied Cognitive Psychology but I’m also drawn to socio-economic psychology and policy. What appeals to me in this symposium is how science, policy and practice come together. Ultimately, I want to do something in the public sector, so this is important for me in terms of the subject matter, and it’s also good for networking. The programme is both interesting and much needed. I truly believe that it’s only possible to have better policy if it is based on solid research. Even though I’m not yet applying this theme directly myself, it’s important to continue to engage with it, so that’s how I’m continuing to learn outside the classroom.’