Core themes: Public management, public organizations;
public managers, work and behavior of managers;
civil service, politico-administrative relations;
managers and professionals, professionals, professionalism;
institutionalism, institutional reform
Mirko Noordegraaf is full professor of Public Management at the Utrecht School of Governance (USG), Utrecht University. Since Sept. 2023, he is head of department at USG. From 2018 until 2023, he was vice dean for Societal Impact of the LEG faculty (Law, Economics & Governance). From 2012 until 2018, he was chair of the executive Board of USG. From 2012 until 2021 he also chaired the Public Governance & Management (PGM) unit within USG.
He focuses on organization and management issues in public domains, with particular emphasis on public managers, varying from government managers, via police managers, to health care and school managers. He analyzes their professionalism, in relation to professionalism and occupational changes at workfloors. He also studies changes in professional behavior at work floors, with particular emphasis on 'organizing' and 'connective professionalism', i.e. new forms of professionalism that stimulate professionals to (re)organize themselves and their work. This is related to changes outside organization, e.g. in associations and education of professionals, as well as political and societal developments.
Within the USG he co-chairs the research program 'Public Matters: Co-creating Public Value'. In his research he focuses on safety, health care and education. He was coordinator and member of the steering group of the UU focus area 'Professional Performance', and he is member of the steering group of the IOS hub 'Security in Open Societies'.
He is responsible for research and education related to Public management. He coordinates educational trajectories and modules on Public management in Bachelor, Master and executive master programs. He was academic director for LinC, Leadership in Culture.
He led various advisory projects, including e.g. "Executive cultures", "Counter terrorism strategy", "Terrorism and Emergency state", "Resilient Open Societies", "Evaluation of the Dutch Senior Executive Service (SES)".
He published in Organization Studies, Public Administration, Administration & Society, Public Management Review, Public Administration Review, Journal of Professions & Organization, Current Sociology, Comparative Sociology, Journal of Management Studies, International Journal of Public Sector Management. In addition, he published books, such as the text book Public Management. Performance, Professionalism and Politics (Palgrave, 2015).
Since a few years he is member of the editorial team of the Journal of Professions and Organization (JPO). In addition, he is member of the editorial board for J-PART. He was editor for Public Administration Review (PAR).
He is co-chair of the EGPA Permanent study group XX, Welfare state governance and professionalism, and was/is panel co-chair of panels at IRPSM, EGOS, ISA (RC52) en ESA (RN19). He is also member of the ESA Board. He is member of the Steering Committee of EGPA.
Since 2017, he chairs the Dutch Association for Public Administration (VB).