The Centre for Public Values & Ethics (CPVE) is an interdisciplinary, academic centre of expertise aiming to conduct and disseminate scientific research on normative issues in the public sector, in particular the fulfillment of public office and the planning, making and executing of public policy, both…

The Public Management and Leadership specialisation emphasises how the behaviour of critical actors – politicians, top-level bureaucrats, street-level professionals and citizens - is critical to understand and improve public governance. The specialisation blends public administration with psychology,…

The third project, worked on by dr. Rina Knoeff, is a synthesising project directed at studying the Leiden anatomical collections as important parts of ‘public history’. It will use the results of the other projects in order to analyse anatomical collections (their focus, significant silences, audiences,…

Across the globe our governments and societies are confronted with enormous challenges that raise new organisational, policy, and ethical issues. How do we address these society’s most pressing issues through governance? The Master of Public Administration gives you a unique research-led multi-level…

Across the globe our governments and societies are confronted with enormous challenges that raise new organisational, policy, and ethical issues. How do we address these society’s most pressing issues through governance? The Master of Public Administration gives you a unique research-led multi-level…

Yearly, the LIBC organizes a public event to share scientific research in the field of brain & cognition

Are you thinking about studying Public International Law? Learn more and watch the videos.

Public International Law is a one-year Master’s specialisation at the internationally acclaimed Leiden Law School at Leiden University. The programme focuses on the legal framework that governs international relations in an increasingly complex global society.

Many of the big challenges of the 21st century (climate change, international migration, financial instability, socio-economic inequality) find their origins in the organisation of the global economy. Any solution to the world’s big challenges therefore requires forceful policy interventions at the…

The transition from fossil fuels and the practical changes that this entails make many demands on citizens. Emma ter Mors, a psychologist and lecturer at Leiden University, is researching the factors that contribute to public perception and acceptance of new energy technologies.

On May 27th 2016 an inaugural lecture was held by prof. dr. Sandra Groeneveld entitled: ‘Het belang van bureaucratie. Omgaan met ambivalentie in publiek management’.

The Tatiana Afanassjewa-lecture series was a series of public talks in Dutch that was started during the Covid-19 lockdown. The talks were given by Leiden physicists on wednesday evenings, intended for everyone with an interest in physics.

Double Bind. Public service professionals coping with contrasting demands. How do public service professionals align their PSM with contrasting demands set by the organizational and social contexts in which they work?

This research cluster is a part of the Institute of Political Science’s research programme ‘Institutions, Decisions and Collective Behaviour’.

INFLUEX examines the influence of experts on public policy, aiming to define, measure, and explain their role in democratic policymaking

In this book, the authors provide an overview of the history of civil service education and training by analysing cases in Europe, the US and Australia.

How should jurisdictions, both on the national and on the supra-national level, handle the interaction between public and private law where it regards the regulation of financial markets?

Recent publications

Kohei Suzuki, Assistant Professor at Institute of Public Administration, researched, together with two other authors, whether public managers with private sector experience have more core managerial values.

Within the Public Administration department, there is an option for a specialisation: Economics, Public Administration and Management. This is a dutch program.

The master's specialisation ICT in the Public Sector at Leiden University examines issues relevant in the public domain such as politico-administrative relations, European procurement and data-driven policy development. Students will learn how to apply Computer Science knowledge on a managerial leve…

This book explores how public health concerns and political agendas influenced each other in the US over the past century.

The public sector is increasingly a multi-level system, with interactions between public and private actors on the national, sub-national (provinces, regions) and international level and various public, semi-public and private organisations that perform public tasks. In this minor students pay attention…

It is a tragic fact that mass atrocities have been, and are being, committed across the world. The international community, while condemning these acts, often stands idly by. This conundrum raises a host of empirical, legal, and normative questions regarding the role of public opinion in responding…

In this specialisation, you will learn how to tackle complex economic and financial challenges. You will gain knowledge from a variety of academic disciplines and familiarise yourself with international administrative-economic issues, all of which will offer you great opportunities for the future.

Researchers of the Leiden Leadership Centre are active members of the PUPOL network. PUPOL is an international academic network for public and political leadership which fosters exchange of ideas and inspires collaborative research among scholars focusing on the role of leadership in the public and…

Are you thinking about studying the Advanced LL.M. Public International Law? Learn more and watch the videos.

Our Master Public International Law (L.L.M.) you will gain understanding of the legislation that governs international relations in a complex global society

You often hear that the public find court sentences too short. Professor Jan de Keijser emphasises that the gap is reduced if the public is given more information about a case and the sentence.

Are you thinking about studying Public Administration: Economics and Governance? Learn more and watch the videos.

Are you thinking about studying Public Administration: International and European Governance? Learn more and watch the videos.

How does the social infrastructure affect administrative burdens associated with digital government services? The paper 'Administrative burden in digital public service delivery: The social infrastructure of library programs for e-inclusion' published in the Review of Policy Research by Sarah Giest…

This book provides a long-term historical analysis, exploring the roots of the low levels of corruption existing in Chile, going back to the 16th century and examining Chile’s institutional evolution until today.

Jews and Christians in the Middle East

Are you thinking about studying ICT in Business and the Public Sector (last intake in February 2025)? Learn more and watch the introduction video.

In their vision trajectory, the Office for the Senior Civil Service (in Dutch: Bureau Algemene Bestuursdienst) communicated its plan to renew its vision on public leadership. Over the course of 2021, the Leiden Leadership Centre contributed as a scientific partner to the substantiation of this visio…

In several Mediterranean regions archaeological sites have been mapped by fieldwalking surveys, producing large amounts of data. These legacy site-based survey data represent an important resource to study ancient settlement organization. Methodological procedures are necessary to cope with the limits…

Courses in English.

Bringing Dominican indigenous collections back to the community

It is well known that photography means writing with light. However, the meaning of “with” can be ambiguous. Film can be exposed outside of the camera. Historically, people have done so to render visible other forms of radiation than what we call light. In mid-2013, Andrew Littlejohn took several rolls…

Kohei Suzuki, assistant professor at Leiden University, together with Victor Lapuente, examined how male and female public managers show attitudinal differences toward innovation in the public sector.

The Tatiana Afanassjewa-lecture series is a series of public talks in Dutch by Leiden physicists on wednesday evenings, intended for everyone with an interest in physics.

What does it mean to do public policy ethics today? How should philosophers engage with ethical issues in policy-making when policy decisions are circumscribed by political and pragmatic concerns? How do ethical issues in public policy differ between areas such as foreign policy, criminal justice, or…

Does a shared idea of the ‘public servant’ exist in Europe? Sager, Overeem, and others explore.

This article explores how employees use leadership behaviours and how characteristics of the organizational context affect their engagement in leadership.

This article researches the public perception of terrorist attacks by measuring the importance the public assigns to attributes of terrorist attacks.

How interest groups, differences in policy issues and institutional differences between countries affect whether public opinion is translated into policy?

Previous studies have identified institutional, organizational, and individual factors that promote innovation in public organizations. Yet they have overlooked how the type of public administration—and the type of administrators—is associated with innovative attitudes.

European integration is under pressure. At the same time, the notion of a European administrative space is being explicitly voiced. But does a shared idea of the public servant exist in Europe?