Projects

VIDI: "Lazy bureaucrats?"

A Vidi of 800,000 euros was awarded to Lars Tummers for his research proposal "Lazy Bureaucrats? Stereotypes of civil servants across countries". According to Lars Tummers, the stereotypical way many people in the Netherlands think about civil servants can have a selection effect. For example, ambitious professionals may not opt for a job in government because they too, now think negatively about civil servants. It can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy: civil servants may work less hard, if they are often portrayed negatively. Tummers argues that the subject deserves further investigation because negative stereotypes can have big consequences; talented professionals may find it less attractive to become an official. For more information, see https://en.larstummers.com/vidi

Governance Lab Utrecht

The Governance Lab Utrecht provides a research facility, teaching environment, expertise center and consultancy & design facility into governance practices and innovations. It supports four types of experimental research: lab experiments, living labs, design and innovation labs and simulation labs.

The Governance Lab Utrecht is based at the Utrecht School of Governance. It is a collaboration between the Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University School of Economics and the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.

More information, see the website of Governance Lab Utrecht.

Accountable Governance

Accountability is of increasing importance in a public sector in which most tasks are performed by (partially) autonomous organizations. In recent years, more and more resources are invested in accountability. Unfortunately, however, this has not led to noticeable increases in performance. On the contrary, practical experience documents a plethora of accountability-failures. It is often time-consuming and expensive, provokes strategic reactions by managers and professionals, and easily harms their motivation. The key issue is: how can public accountability more effectively influence decisions and practices in public sector organizations?

The Calibrating Public Accountability project aims to answer this grand question. The project is funded by a prestigious NWO-vidi grant and will run for five years. The core team in Utrecht will collaborate with renown international colleagues and important public sector organizations in the Netherlands and beyond.

More information? Go to the uu website of Accountable Governance