Over the years, our research, education, and expertise have helped shape the policy and practice of regulation.
Transforming regulatory practice
Our collaboration with the Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate has led to the development of the Value-Driven Regulation model, grounded in years of academic work. This model is now integrated into the Inspectorate’s approach and used to train all staff, strengthening their regulatory thinking and improving practice. Our work on reflexive regulation has supported regulators in piloting more responsive methods across both health and social domains. By working alongside inspectors to co-design and evaluate new approaches, we’ve not only fostered learning within organisations but also developed practical tools that are now shared across the wider regulatory community.
Driving organisational learning and change
Our research has contributed to significant organisational learning and cultural change within regulatory bodies. Insights into just culture have led to the creation of an e-learning module and a dedicated training day for employees of the Dutch Inspectorate. Research on the alignment of regulation and criminal law enforcement informed a new collaboration agreement between the Inspectorate and the Public Prosecution Service. In the disability care sector, our findings have shaped a revised regulatory approach that better supports learning and improvement for providers caring for people with learning disabilities.
Influencing national policy
We also influence national health and social care policy. Our study of excellent providers for people with learning disabilities was incorporated into the Ministry of Health’s Future Agenda for Social Care, helping set the direction for national care strategy. In addition, our expertise in professional regulation has informed key policy recommendations aimed at making legislation on professional regulation more future-proof in an evolving care landscape.
Educating the next generation of regulators
Education is central to our mission, and we are proud to contribute to the training of the next generation of healthcare inspectors and policy advisors. Several of our master’s thesis students have joined Dutch healthcare regulatory bodies, building on research conducted during their studies. In doing so, they carry forward approaches that are already improving regulatory thinking and practice in the field.
International reach and influence
Internationally, our teaching has inspired regulators in other countries to adapt their approaches and implement value-driven regulatory thinking in their own contexts. We are regularly invited by international regulatory organisations to share our expertise and insights through lectures, workshops, and strategic discussions. Our expertise is also being applied through advisory roles in oversight committees, including those supporting the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England as it develops its research programme. These international collaborations further our aim of contributing to better regulation across borders.