4 July 2025
The SSH Open Competition M funding instrument for free, curiosity-driven research focuses on research projects with a primary social and/or humanities research question. In total 59 projects received a maximum budget of 400,000 euros.
Prof. Christian Burgers (Communication Science): When Lies Take Root: The Impact of Misinformation on Those at Risk
Online misinformation is a crucial challenge for our society. However, the negative impact of misinformation can differ across specific individuals and messages: not everybody is equally vulnerable to every misinformation message. This project investigates which groups are most vulnerable to which types of misinformation, and will develop and test new intervention methods to increase the resilience to misinformation among these at-risk groups.
Dr Kristina Irion (Information Law): Artificial Secrecy? Transparency in EU Digital and Data Regulation
There is a fundamental tension between secrecy claims and transparency needs. This is especially evident in the digital ecosystem where the detection of unlawful discrimination, unfair or deceptive practices, among others, requires some evidence or at least actionable information. In light of the EU’s digital ‘Act-ivism’ this research project will investigate how EU digital and data regulation balances the protection of confidential information with transparency. Especially public interest research by for example journalists, trade unions or consumer advocates can be a reason for transparency.
Dr Vincent Kuitenbrouwer (History): Distant Voices: Uncovering the Agency of Indonesian Broadcasters at Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep (1945-1965)
The project ‘Distant Voices’ contributes to the historiography of international radio broadcasting by focusing on broadcasters from the Global South. The central case study of the project is the history of the Indonesian programme of Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep (RNW) between 1945 and 1965. Making use of RNW-archives, this project uncovers the agency of Indonesian broadcasters in that period. The methodology developed in this project is meant to launch a new collaborative research agenda in radio studies and pioneers new perspectives on Dutch media history.
Dr Matthijs Lok (European Studies): Royalist Radicals: Royalist Opposition and Parliamentary Democracy in Restoration Europe
This project will examine the ambivalent democratic legacy of right-wing radicals in early nineteenth-century France and Europe. It answers the question of why and how the so-called ‘ultra-royalist’ radicals between 1814-1830, despite their criticism of democratic innovations of the French Revolution, frequently used the instruments of parliamentary democracy such as constitutions, parliaments, elections and civil rights for their own agenda. The project will provide new insight into the forgotten and counter-intuitive contribution of these right-wing radicals to the development of democracy in Europe, while also placing the contemporary topic of right-wing radicalism in a broader historical context.
Dr Bram Mellink (History): A caring society? A social history of HIV and AIDS in the Netherlands since the 1980s
This project investigates the social effects of the Dutch response to the HIV epidemic in the 1980s, with a focus on the epidemic's immediate and lasting social effects. By interviewing people directly impacted – such as those living with HIV, nurses, clinicians, activists, and policymakers – it aims to understand the government’s initial actions and the social outcomes for affected individuals and communities. Looking beyond policymakers' original objectives to prevent moral panic and reduce stigma, the project evaluates whether these aims were achieved, offering new insights into the long-term social impact of the Dutch response to HIV on involved groups.
Prof. Theo Offerman (Economics): When should ethically contested markets be allowed?
Many societal problems are essentially market design problems. Whereas current research focuses on efficiency, it is imperative to include people’s fairness views. This project aims to understand why people oppose the solutions proposed by classical economists. This will help to search for modified designs that find more support. The researchers will address markets in which sellers engage in dynamic pricing and markets that generate negative external effects. They will also consider the non-existence of market for challenge trials and the market for organ donations, in which they aim to find out whether there are modified designs that people would consider desirable.
Offerman will conduct this project together with Dr Andreas Ziegler of VU Amsterdam.
Dr Olga Sezneva (Sociology): Contested Objects, Connected Histories (COCH)
This interdisciplinary, multimodal research project explores the aftermath of violence, displacement and dispossession from a cultural perspective. It asks: how is loss survived in a tradition, and how does loot turn into heritage? The project focuses on the production of ceramics in a region that was German before 1945 and became Polish after World War II. Seventy years later, the same ceramic objects embody two different subjectivities: the ‘German’ as vilified and the ‘Polish’ as victor. COCH connects property and culture to offer new perspectives on the lasting effects of violence and displacement.
Dr Eline Smit (Communication Science) & Dr Mirte Kuipers (Medicine): Addressing craving in the city: how personalized help at the right time and place can help to combat nicotine use
Nicotine is very addictive and harms both physical and mental health. Yet, despite ambitions for a Smokefree Generation, smoking and vaping are on the rise. To help young adults in Amsterdam tackle their nicotine cravings, this project will apply state-of-the art systems methods to develop the Quit Sense Amsterdam app. This app will provide personalized, just-in-time and context-triggered support to help young adults manage their cravings triggered by urban surroundings. By studying how city life affects nicotine habits, the researchers aim to create an effective tool that empowers young people to live healthier, nicotine-free lives.
Dr Sindy Sumter (Communication Science): Redesigning Social Media: How social media platforms can make it harder and easier for young people to stop scrolling?
Social media are purposely designed to keep young users hooked, often making them spend more time online than they actually want. To tackle this issue, we need theoretical insights and empirical evidence on the connection between how these platforms are designed and the problem of overuse. This project aims to pinpoint effective design elements that help teens take back control of their social media use.
Sumter conducts this project together with Dr Helen Vossen of Utrecht University.
Dr Hilde Voorveld & Dr Joanna Strycharz (Communication Science): How TikTok algorithms exploit vulnerable individuals by influencing their consumer behaviour
Commercial companies and brands use algorithms on social media to secretly exploit the vulnerability of specific individuals by influencing their thoughts, feelings and behaviour. This could lead to inequalities in which certain people are more often affected by unfair commercial tactics and are more heavily persuaded to engage in harmful behaviour. This project demystifies such algorithmic persuasion on TikTok among adolescents and young adults. With innovative methods, it studies who is most often exposed to algorithmic persuasion, how different types of people cope and are affected, and how to develop remedies to help people cope and reduce negative consequences.
Dr Esmée Zwiers (Economics): Hormones at work: How menopause affects women’s labor market outcomes
The increased proportion of middle-aged working women over time implies that more employed women experience menopause during their professional careers. While this major biological transition is often accompanied by substantial physical and mental health problems, the causal impact of these symptoms on women’s careers is yet unknown. This project innovates by identifying the causal impact of menopause on women's labor market participation and earnings. Furthermore, it examines how this effect is influenced by inequality in access to care, and the role of female-friendly workplace provisions. This project’s insights will contribute to improving women’s careers and gender equality in the workplace.
Zwiers will conduct this project together with Prof. Anne Gielen of Erasmus University.