Research

Research at the Department of Public Administration is organised within the research programme ‘Lost connections, linking capacities: effectiveness, legitimacy and self-organization’. It seeks to understand how the growing disconnection between government and society in terms of effectiveness and legitimacy can be described and explained, and what this implies for the development of new, meaningful connections in terms of effectiveness and legitimacy. In the latter special attention is given to the principle of self-organization.

Apart from traditional academic research, the department also has an active research portfolio with a variety of local, national and international governmental organisations.

Research is organised in two research groups

Comparative Public Services Innovation (CPSI)

Public services have undergone major changes in recent decades. The Comparative Public Services Innovation research group looks at changes in the institutional setting of public services, changes in the organisation and management of these services, and changes in service delivery processes. We also study the effect of these changes on effectiveness, legitimacy and self-organisation. The research group is lead by Victor Bekkers, Walter Kickert, Bram Steijn, and Steven Van de Walle, and combines a team of 15-20 faculty, as well as a group of junior researchers and PhD students.

Governance of Complex Systems (GOCS)

This research group focuses complex governance systems especialley the systems dealing with urban and regeional development, water systems and infrastructure development. During the last decade this research group chaired by Geert Teisman, Erik-Hans Klijn and Jurian Edelenbos has build up a strong position in studying complex governance processes and governance networks. It rapidly developed an outstanding national and international reputation in the scientific communities on public administration and network and complexity theory and is part of highly esteemed research networks of scientists and practicioners like Habiforum and Living with Water in the Netherlands and Netlipse in Europe. The members of this groep participate in a variety of national and international research networks, editorial boards and advisory boards.

Recent Research Grants

Year		Scientist	Budget	Title
2012-2015	NWO Research Talent	Anne Annink MSc	€ 167,076	Work-life balance of self-employed across Europe
2011-2014	FP7-SSH	Prof. dr. Steven Van de Walle	€ 2,698,927	COCOPS - coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future
2011-2014	NWO Veni	Dr. Peter Scholten	€ 250,000	Beyond National Models of Integration? A multi-level perspective on agenda dynamics and policy change
2011-2014	NWO Veni	Dr. Lasse Gerrits	€ 250,000	Why make something complicated when it seems simple
2011	FP7	Prof.dr. Victor Bekkers, Dr. Peter Scholten, Dr. Rebecca Moody	€550,000	UniteEurope; the role of ICT-tools in the E-Governance of Immigrant Integration
2009-2012	NWO-BOPO	Prof. dr. Bram Steijn	€ 175,000	HRM, HRM-uitkomsten en schoolprestaties
2011	NWO Contested Democracy Programme	Dr.Peter Scholten	€ 10,000	The Local Politics of Attention: Local policy agendas in a comparative and historical perspective.
2011	NWO Programme Contested Democracy	Prof. dr. Steven Van de Walle	€ 6,250	Two-track public services? A longitudinal perspective on tensions between democratic equity and liberalisation of public services
2010-2011	KNAW	Dr. Rebecca Moody & Prof.dr. Victor Bekkers		Visual culture in public policy making
2010-2014	NWO Open Competition	Prof. dr. Erik-Hans Klijn & Prof. dr. Steven Van de Walle	€ 200,000	Complex decision-making in the drama-democracy
2011-2013	Volkswagen Stiftung	Dr. Peter Scholten	€ 123,000	DIAMINT: Science-Society Dialogues on Migrant Integration in Europe