Jiska Engelbert appointed as the new professor on the Ien Dales Chair
On 1 October 2024, Dr Jiska Engelbert was appointed as professor by special appointment on the Ien Dales Chair ‘Government as an Employment Organisation’. Her focus is on leadership in digital transitions, digital innovations, and the transformation of public services, with particular attention to local governments.
This appointment to the Ien Dales Chair aligns perfectly with the ongoing research already being conducted within the Institute of Public Administration. Additionally, she is affiliated with Erasmus University Rotterdam.
'Grateful'
As a professor, Jiska Engelbert focuses on the development of a digital civil service ethics for local officials. ‘I am grateful to hold a position that, quite literally, is based on the ability and opportunity to connect people, organisations, disciplines, and practices. That suits me. From that connection, I want to contribute to a more 'non-technological' approach to digital civil service ethics. Too often, thinking about the ethical aspects of digitalisation within municipalities begins and ends with asking technical questions about digital technology. Is the technology secure? How does it actually work? What happens to the data?’
‘Questions extremely important'
‘Those questions, and the answers to them, are of course extremely important. But they are not always sufficient to work truly ethically and with integrity as a local official. And they certainly do not always guarantee that officials place the public interest of all residents in a municipality at the centre of their actions and decisions. That’s why I want to work together with direct stakeholders to explore how societal questions about digital technology can be raised, and how these questions can become a formal part of everyday work processes and organisational structures in local governments.’
Very pleased
Scientific Director Bernard Steunenberg (Institute of Public Administration) is very pleased with the direction Jiska Engelbert will take in filling this chair and looks forward to further and more intensive collaboration with CAOP.