Citizens have an increasing need to become actively involved in society themselves and to make an active contribution both to their own well-being and health and to society-oriented organisations and (care) institutions. This is also reflected in the large number of submitted questions around this topic. Questions about how vulnerable groups such as the chronically ill, people with mental illnesses or minorities in society can continue to participate well in our society are common. Some questions are about finding solutions in new technology such as e-health and robotics, and how these can, for example, help elderly people live longer at home.
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This question is challenging for scientists, and important for both society and the economy. After all, self-reliance and participation lead to less government spending and more creativity and entrepreneurship. The question has important implications for (mental and physical) health care and for training and education, as well as for social, economic and technological developments. In addition, the question has descriptive, normative and design aspects. The descriptive aspects deal with the interpretation of the concepts of self-reliance and participation. The interpretation of what is morally right contains the normative aspect of the question. Design aspects are mainly for the benefit of education and policy: how can education encourage self-reliance and participation? What are policy implications of greater self-reliance and participation? But also on behalf of technological developments, design research is involved: how can technology promote self-reliance?
