Dr W.J. Elbers (Willem)
Assistant professor - Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies
Assistant professor - Radboud Social Cultural Research
Willem works on driving sustainable change through strong partnerships and community building. He supports organisations — from civil society and governments to companies — in collaborating effectively around complex societal challenges in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the heart of his work is one central question: how do you build connections in which people genuinely feel engaged and take responsibility for shared goals? Lasting impact emerges when partners and stakeholders not only participate, but develop a sense of shared ownership.
Partnerships and community building form the core of his approach. He designs and facilitates processes in which networks of professionals work together towards both societal and organisational objectives. For example, he led a community building trajectory with Johnson & Johnson aimed at strengthening internal collaboration around the company’s sustainability ambitions. He also works with Liliane Fonds to strengthen Community-Based Inclusive Development (CBID), an approach in which local communities, governments, and civil society organisations collaborate to advance inclusive development.
In his research, Willem focuses on the quality and long-term sustainability of partnerships, including questions of power dynamics, legitimacy, governance, and the fair distribution of responsibility and decision-making. He examines what it takes to make partnerships not only effective, but also equitable and resilient over time.
His work speaks to professionals who want to organise sustainability strategically — within and between organisations, and across sectors.