East Groningen: universal basic services must be up to standard

Economic geographer Sierdjan Koster has been closely following the developments in response to the report Every region counts, published in June 2023, in which three advisory councils of the national government concluded that regions in the Netherlands outside the
Randstad are lagging behind. There’s an expressed intention to change that. But just how? Koster makes the case for long-term thinking and for bringing Groningen’s universal basic services up to standard.

^{Text: Martin Althof, UG Corporate Communication / Photos: Benaissa el Yamani}

For 30 years, the Netherlands has been investing more into the major cities of
the Randstad and the Eindhoven region, based on the idea that these fast-
growing areas would pull the other regions along. As it turns out, this is not
happening. The gap between the Northern Netherlands and the Randstad has not
narrowed in recent decades. Especially outside the city of Groningen, the gap is
growing, and highly educated young people are leaving for the city of Groningen
and beyond.

Attracting and retaining young professionals

A year ago, Sierdjan Koster, together with Viktor Venhorst, wrote an opinion piece
in the newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden. This was in response to Marketing
Groningen’s campaign, aimed at young professionals working in the Randstad.
Marketing Groningen’s campaign was supposed to bring Groningen natives back
to their hometown or to the city where they studied. Koster assessed the
campaign as ‘fun and playful, but not sensible’. Koster: 'Just by highlighting the
negative aspects of the Randstad, you don’t win people back to Groningen. In
fact, in this case, it really had the opposite effect, by creating the image that, for
a real career, you really have to be in the West. It would have made much more
sense to emphasize the opportunities that are available here, in terms of work,
housing, and facilities. If people have already left for elsewhere, then you are too
late.'

Brain gain

Koster has done a lot of research on student migration and is keen to challenge
the image of a ‘brain drain’. ‘Of course, many students leave for elsewhere after
they graduate. But ultimately, 10-15% of the graduates stay in Groningen and its
surroundings, which means a growing population of bright, young people. In
other words, a brain gain rather than a brain drain. That group often includes the
best students, who are sometimes even offered jobs while they are still finishing
their studies.’ Koster has the impression that this trend has been noticed. ‘I believe Marketing Groningen’s latest campaigns are based much more on the strengths of Groningen and the surrounding areas. They demonstrate much more of what is available here and show pride.’

A province within a province

Koster notes that the city of Groningen is doing extremely well. ‘Villages such as
Eelde-Paterswolde, Vries, and Zuidhorn are also doing well. When we move
eastwards, things are not as favourable. East Groningen usually comes last in allkinds of rankings due to a multidimensional set of problems: earthquakes,
employment, health, education, ageing, population shrinkage. The eastern
Groningen region is almost a province within a province.’

25 to 30 years

Koster stresses the need for a long-term mindset of 25 to 30 years, which, not
coincidentally, is the duration of Nij Begun [New Beginnings], the recovery and
perspective programme in the earthquake zone. A lot of funding has been
structurally allocated for that. Use that for in-depth investments in people and
facilities: education, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure. Start with the children
of today and tomorrow. Improve education and pay attention to good nutrition,
for instance through a so-called enriched or extended school day.’

Self-esteem and pride

Research in which Koster is involved—the image monitor—consistently shows
that many Groningen residents have a relatively negative self-image. Koster:
‘The sometimes praised down-to-earth mentality of the Groningen people also
has a negative side: it doesn’t always help when it comes to embracing new
initiatives. In the city of Groningen, this happens more often. Take the Forum
Groningen, for example, which initially received a lot of criticism, but turned out
to be a very welcome addition to the city.’ That negative self-image applies to
residents, but also to entrepreneurs. Koster: ‘East Groningen has a low score in
the potential business location ranking, and that is a problem because time and
again it turns out that economic growth mainly emerges from within the region
itself. It is the SMEs already present here that create most of the employment,
whereas foreign businesses settling here contribute much less. Expectations for
the latter are often high. In my opinion, we should look at it the other way round,
by focusing on the businesses and people that are already there, and helping
them to innovate, digitize, and work together with educational institutions. An
initiative such as the University of the North could be useful in this respect.’

Infrastructure

‘Do you still have to go all the way back to Groningen?' Many Groningen residents
visiting the Randstad recognize this question. The new railway connection to be
built, the Lelylijn, will better connect the Randstad with Groningen, and perhaps
potentially with Bremen and Hamburg. Koster: `But I keep saying, it runs both
ways. Businesses from Groningen could also just as easily move to the Randstad,
as staff will be able to travel back and forth more quickly and easily, in the future.
But I am all for building it, as it is will structurally improve the accessibility of the
region. The time gain is 25 minutes on a one-way trip and the connection will
become more robust and therefore less vulnerable. And if you eventually want to
extend to Bremen and Hamburg, you will also have to invest on this side of the
border. It is usually difficult to predict what the exact positive and negative
effects will be.’ The Nedersaksenlijn, which runs from Groningen via Emmen to
Enschede, is much more local in character, according to Koster, but essential for
opening up the region. ‘For eastern Groningen and Drenthe, high-quality public
transport is a universal basic service. It will result in extra jobs and extra houses.
Young people can get to school and work more easily. As far as I am concerned,
this is an example of in-depth investment in this region.’

Where will we be in 25 years?

Koster expects that the city of Groningen will continue to prosper. ‘It will continue
to grow, although there will continue to be significant disparities within the city of
Groningen. That is definitely a point for attention. In the surrounding areas,
especially in East Groningen, things really need to change. I wish for the people
to be in a position where they can offer their children every opportunity. And for
that to happen, the universal basic services need to be brought up to standard:
education, infrastructure, housing, and entrepreneurship. I think it can be done,
but it won’t be easy. A report like Every region counts is a nice start, but for now
it is only an expressed intention. On top of that, other regions are also coming
forward and applying for support. And even in the Randstad, people are also
saying: "Yes, but we also have problems of our own." That may very well be true,
but it is certainly not the case that investments in the Randstad are now
suddenly being put on hold...’

More information

Sierdjan Koster