Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences will develop action models to strengthen civil society in Latvia as part of an ambitious research project
In order to promote the cohesion and civic participation of Latvian society, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences has launched a three-year research project “Values in Action: promotion of responsible, secure and educated civil society in Latvia through research and development of action models”(project Nr. VPP-IZM-2018/1-0013).
The project aims to research modern forms of civic participation, including those developing in the online environment; the current public policy and the culture of public administration in the context of civil society development; the culture of civic participation in the modern and historical context and the governance and regulatory aspects of the European Union in the context of this topic. Vidzeme University`s research partner will be the Rīga Stradiņš University.
“For some time, we have been working on issues related to the public safety in terms of research and studies. No weapons, expensive military equipment will be able to protect a society that is not feeling secure internally and is not convinced of itself,” explains Dr hist. Gatis Krumins, the project manager and rector of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences. “The implementation of this project offers us great opportunities to find scientific answers to the challenges brought to us by the increasing turbulence in the information space of the 21st century and the collisions of different value systems in the global world.”
The project will not only provide new knowledge about civil society in Latvia from different perspectives, but also the use of this knowledge in strengthening democratic processes. In particular, action models will be developed and validated in the course of the project, which will be used by policy makers to develop measures to strengthen civil society.
The project is implemented within National Research Program "Latvian heritage and future challenges for the country's sustainability". and will be developed by 30 November 2021. The total cost of the project is € 599,839.
