Kick-off of research into the role of the Dutch pension sector in the sustainability transition
What is the role of the Dutch pension sector in the sustainability transition? A consortium led by Netspar is investigating this with funding from the NWO (Dutch Research Council). An online kick-off meeting took place on Monday, March 16 with over fifty participants from academia and the pension sector. It was a lively and informative session with active interaction.
“What are we going to do and how can you get involved?” That was the question posed by Mathijs van Dijk, scientific director of Netspar, at the start of the kick-off meeting. The discussion covered six work packages that examine the potential role of the pension sector from three perspectives: the pension sector itself, pension participants and companies.
The research will run for a period of four years. A budget of 1.5 million euros has been allocated for this purpose, with half funded by the NWO and the other half by the pension sector. Mathijs van Dijk is leading the project, with Lisa Brüggen serving as the person with final responsibility. Charlotte van Boxtel is the project manager.
Work packages and presenters
During the kick-off meeting, the lead researcher from each work package gave a short presentation. They outlined the composition and structure of their research and discussed opportunities for collaboration with the pension sector. The work packages discussed and presenters were:
- Work Package 1: What are drivers of and barriers in sustainability decisions by individuals? (Presenter: Thijs Bouman)
- Work Package 2: How can sustainability preferences and beliefs of pension participants be elicited? (Presenter: Rob Bauer)
- Work Package 3: How can pension providers effectively communicate about sustainability? (Presenter: Saskia ter Ellen)
- Work Package 4.1: How can pension providers effectively engage with companies on sustainability? (Presenter: Emilio Marti)
- Work Package 4.2: How can pension providers adequately reckon with sustainable business models in their investment strategies? (Presenter: Martijn Boermans)
- Work Package 5: What is the legal context for pension providers to contribute to the sustainability transition? (Presenter: Erik Lutjens)
Many questions and comments arose from the field, followed by a lively discussion. There was thus an active exchange, during which the necessary knowledge was shared. It also became clear that the various work packages complement each other well.
Sharing ideas for contributions
Van Dijk concluded by calling on participants from the pension sector to continue sharing their ideas for research contributions even after the kick-off. This can be done via [email protected] or directly through the contact information on the researcher’s academic page.