We introduce the concept of “relational reflexivity”—drawn from realist and relational sociological theories—to examine how external actors engage in the collective process of endogenous social change driven by community-based entrepreneurship. Relational reflexivity allows individuals to reflect on the quality of their relationships (relational goods), transforming their identities and developing new relationships. By comparing the life stories of two individuals, we identify two relational paths establishing different types of relationships with community-based entrepreneurial ventures. In the first path (embedded transformation), reflection on trust and mutual recognition of expertise enables an external scientist to join the entrepreneurial venture. In the second path (institutional facilitation), reflection on public transparency and the constitutional roles enables a head of a semi-public organization to shift the policy approach from viewing entrepreneurs as “beneficiaries” to recognizing them as “rights-holders.” In both cases, relational reflexivity connects collective action to broader processes of social change. ... Read more

From local action to global inspiration: how communities around the world are shaping a circular future through collective, relational, and regenerative entrepreneurial practices. Building on the first edition of Circular Communities (2022), this second edition explores culturally diverse and community-led approaches to circular resource stewardship. These examples demonstrate how communities generate ecological, cultural, social, aesthetic and financial value by collectively closing resource loops.

In their new book, urban designer Els Leclercq, architect Mo Smit and regenerative entrepreneurship expert Fátima Delgado Medina expand on the Circular Value Flower: a value-based, relational model developed to analyse, communicate and design circular practices. This enables a holistic environmental approach by linking communities with the (urban) landscape and wider eco-system through resource stewardship.

Written for communities, spatial designers, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, this book offers insights and instruments with which to design, collaborate, and act – supporting global circular practices and allowing these to flourish, connect and grow into valuable networks. ... Read more

This report presents the action-based research project process and outcomes of the “Leveraging Empowered Circular Communities in the Galápagos Islands” project, funded by the LDE Global program. Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) Universities support initiatives that foster research co-creation between LDE institutions and scholars from the Majority-World countries in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Our project, launched in July 2023 and running through April 2025, aims to embed circular economy (CE) principles in the seafood system of Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos.

This initiative unites the Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) of Ecuador, the Delft Centre of Entrepreneurship (DCE) at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Circular Community Foundation (CCF), the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Institute of Biology at Leiden University, and the Pelican Bay Fishing Cooperative of the Galápagos Islands.

The LDE Global fund backs initiatives to encourage inclusive research partnerships and innovative community outreach. The financial support for this particular research project has enabled multi-stakeholder workshops, fish waste assessment of several endemic species, the production of a short-documentary and reels snapshots, photos, local multi-stakeholder interviews, training and prototyping activities for fish leather, an outreach booklet, several research outcomes produced by bachelor and master students from TU Delft and Leiden universities, one fully submitted manuscript, and three in progress to be submitted by the end of 2025. By co-creating and co-developing circular and regenerative interventions with local fishers, entrepreneurs, municipal authorities, and chefs, the project aims to transform fish waste into value-added products, reduce environmental harm, and fortify economic opportunities for coastal communities on the island of Santa Cruz in the archipelago. ... Read more

This chapter examines a North–South collaboration for a short-term study abroad program focused on entrepreneurship to illuminate the persistent colonial power imbalances that can emerge—even when participants seek to adopt a decolonial approach. Drawing on a qualitative case study of a six-month minor program in International Entrepreneurship & Development (IED) at a Dutch university, we analyze a specific project within this program where students from the Global North and South collaboratively developed a board game on climate awareness for adolescents in an urban periphery in South America. Despite emphasizing participatory action research, critical reflection, and peer-to-peer co-design, post-project communications in media outlets external to the program inadvertently reinforced a “white savior” narrative, erasing local collaborators’ contributions. Our reflexive analysis—grounded in decolonial pedagogies, participatory action research, and critical media literacy—reveals a gap in students’ preparation for negotiating and challenging external, often colonial, representations of their work. We highlight how frameworks of “coloniality” persist beyond the classroom, surfacing in digital platforms, news coverage, and institutional communications that frame Global North students as primary knowledge producers and problem-solvers. We argue that decolonizing entrepreneurial education demands a curriculum design that reaches beyond the classroom to include robust training in ethical reflexivity, critical media engagement, and AI literacy. Based on this reflection, we propose a set of practical recommendations—including deeper incorporation of local knowledge systems, explicit crediting of all collaborators, and institutional policies for equitable media representation—to foster more inclusive and respectful North–South educational partnerships that dismantle rather than reproduce colonial structures. ... Read more

The practice and theory of urban governance often compel governing coalitions to shape the right entrepreneurial ecosystem in response to the pressures of global competition. This contribution conceptualises such a demand within the framework of the “coloniality of power” introduced by the Peruvian sociologist Aníbal Quijano. We argue that coloniality operates through an “aspiration of being” or an obsession with international rankings, which necessarily entails an internal compulsion to racialise and classify localities and inhabitants. This aspiration turns low-skilled migrants into liabilities for the imagined competitive city as urban political economies change over time. We illustrate this through the discourse and practice of urban entrepreneurship in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) to elaborate on the implications of the “aspiration of being” and establish three conditions under which one could claim a case for the coloniality of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in urban governance. ... Read more

This report provides a clear and accessible overview of the multi-stakeholder workshop that was held on 28th of March 2025 in Nairobi. The workshop was organized by Nuvoni Centre for Research, Leiden Delft Erasmus universities (Netherlands) and the Circular Community Foundation and funded by LDE Global. This workshop is part of a wider research project called “The Nairobi River as a driver for Circular Communities – an urgent call for climate adaptivity and social resilience.” The aim of the workshop was to:
1. demonstrate the multiple value creation by localcommunity-based initiatives,
2. map the values of circular and regenerative resourcesystems in the Nairobi riparian river landscape,
3. to co-create interventions centred around the 4 initiatives that enhance the circular and regenerative character of the social-ecological riparian river landscape.

The Circular Value Flower method (CVF) has been used to support both the analysis of the initiatives and the collective design of interventions. Illustrated with photos, visuals and testimonials of participants, this booklet aims to inform local, national and international audiences about project ambitions and methodology, initial outcomes and practical next steps to widen the network of circular communities in Nairobi and include them as essential seeds of social, economic and ecological transition in wider policies related to resilience, climate adaptivity, sustainability, poverty reduction and circularity. ... Read more

While decolonial participatory design principles have gained attention in various fields, their specific application in international student exchange programmes has received limited scholarly attention. Recognising that Indigenous communities have long employed collaborative, community-based pedagogical approaches that embody these principles, this study examines how international exchange programmes can better integrate decolonial methodologies into their frameworks. We present a case study of four undergraduate engineering students participating in a participatory action research project focused on the intercultural health management of vector-borne diseases in the Colombian Amazon. Our methodology incorporates decolonial preparatory coursework, community-engaged fieldwork, and structured reflective practice workshops designed to support students in developing culturally responsive approaches to engineering challenges. By documenting the experiential learning process, implementation challenges, and outcomes of this exchange programme, this article provides insights for practitioners and educators seeking to transform international interchange experiences through more equitable, community-centred approaches. ... Read more