Tom Overmans is an Assistant Professor in Public Administration with a particular interest in budgeting and behaviour. 

His current research examines the financial decision-making behaviour of politicians. Why do politicians make budget decisions that fail to fully align with their own preferences? Why do they rely on numbers and labels – even when these are irrelevant or outdated? Why do they invest disproportionately in issues that have recently been highlighted in the media? Through experimental research, Tom seeks to tackle these systematic and therefore predictable cognitive biases. For this work, he was awarded a prestigious Veni talent grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Another area of Tom’s research focuses on the role of Public Administration in addressing major societal challenges, such as climate adaptation and access to healthcare. Together with Marlies Honingh and Mirko Noordegraaf, Tom edited the book Maatschappelijke Bestuurskunde (Societal Public Administration). He presented the first copy at the 50th-anniversary event of the Dutch Association of Public Administration to the then Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Hanke Bruins Slot.

Tom leads the master’s programme in Public Management and is a core lecturer in courses on behavioural public administration, public financial management, public performance, and societal impact.

He is an active member of several international research communities, including the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM), the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA), and the Public Management Research Association (PMRA).

Areas of Expertise:
- Public Administration
- Behavioral Public Administration, with a focus on Behavioral Budgeting
- Budget cuts in the public sector (doctoral research)
- Financial management, including budget, planning & control, and accountability
- Public sector economics, specifically market failure, government failure, collective choice, and taxation