Public sector decision-makers operate amidst an abundance of information and unclear political objectives. Attention is the sine qua non of policy-making: What is attended to can be addressed in policy responses; what is overlooked or goes unnoticed cannot. Despite its importance, public administration…

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?

Public Administration is a major refereed journal publishing articles on public administration, public policy and public management.

You are about to start your Master's programme in MSc. Public Administration at Leiden University in The Hague, The Netherlands. Make sure you are well prepared and get your studies off to a good start.

On this page you can find information about the bachelor of Public Administration.

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

Robert Pee, William Michael Schmidli (Eds.) This book posits that democracy promotion played a key role in the Reagan administration’s Cold War foreign policy.

The eleven innovative essays in this volume explore the notion that all forms of modern mass politics, including liberal democracies, need such a form of sacralization of politics to function.

This handbook is aimed at a wide readership interested in developing an understanding of the political, economic, and social complexity of Eastern Europe. It covers Central Europe, the Baltic republics, South Eastern Europe, and the Western Balkans, as well as all the countries of the former Soviet…

Our society has many complicated problems. If you enjoy thinking about administrative solutions to social issues, then Public Administration is the right study for you.

Political scientist Luzia Helfer (Leiden University) empirically tested claims about media-politics relatiopns using unique data from experimental studies with elected politicians and political journalists in Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Constitutional and administrative law covers a broad area of law. It provides the rules with which issues in society can be solved by government authorities.

How do we address the society’s most pressing issues through governance? The Master of Public Administration gives you a unique research-led multi-level perspective on the practice of management, steering, and coordination of political, economic and societal actors, with three specialisations to suit…

In this PhD-thesis several new and existing data science application are described that are particularly focused on applications for tax administrations.

The Institute of Public Administration studies the complex problems facing the public sector in the 21st century, from climate policy to the effects of digitalisation. Its researchers analyse, explain and help come up with solutions to the challenges of society today.

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 authors of the article expect automation to improve accuracy in less complex programmes but worsens with increased complexity

Students are welcome to come to the Institute of Public Administration as an exchange student. Bachelor students are welcome to join our English taught courses in the first semester (Fall semester only, no Spring semester courses).

The Institute of Public Administration is one of the largest and oldest institutes of academic research and teaching in the field of public administration in the Netherlands and is located in The Hague. The institute combines a solid international academic reputation with a central positioning among…

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…

The research group Politics, Culture and National Identities 1789-present investigates a wide range of national political cultures in Europe and the Americas in the 19th and 20th centuries. Instead of only analyzing high politics (the acts of governments and political parties), the research group focuses…

The Leiden Political Economy Group (L-PEG) is a multi-disciplinary network of scholars with a research interest in (comparative / global) political economy based at Leiden University. Our members belong to various institutes and faculties across Leiden University, and from other universities across…

Political scientist Matthew Longo (Leiden University) takes a detailed look at the evolution of border security in the United States after 9/11. Far from the walls and fences that dominate the news, he reveals borders to be thick, multi-faceted and binational institutions that have evolved greatly in…

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.

The Administration and Central Services department supports the Executive Board and is responsible for policy and decision-making.

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

The Leiden Lectures in Media | Art | Politics (MAP) is a series of talks organized by Pepita Hesselberth and Yasco Horsman. Speakers from various academic backgrounds and in different stages of their careers reflect on diverging ways in which technological and social changes challenge and transform…

Constitutional and administrative law is a specialisation of the master’s programme Rechtsgeleerdheid (Law) at the renowned Leiden Law School of Leiden University. This programme looks closely at the interaction between national and European law.

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…

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.

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

Political scientist Maurits de Jongh (Leiden University/Sciences Po) argues that political liberalism is self-defeating as a framework of justification for liberal conceptions of justice. He explores how the framework's self-imposed criterion of acceptability in the eyes of all reasonable citizens leads…

Never has good policy been so important. From unemployment and a lack of affordable housing to regulating cryptocurrencies and protecting against cybersecurity threats, the challenges we face are complex and global. The text explains how policymaking works: from the emergence of policy ideas to deciding…

Why obey the state? Dorota Mokrosińska presents a fresh analysis of the most influential theories of political obligation and develops a novel approach to this foundational problem of political philosophy, an intriguing combination of the elements of natural duty and associative theories.

How did parties as political organizations emerge?

Courses in English.

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…

This dissertation offers a reconstruction of the propositional contents of the writings of Karl Popper, Leo Strauss, and Hannah Arendt while bringing these into discussion with their performative meanings, such as polemical forms of reasoning, analogical and metaphorical uses of language, and hidden…

Politics is about the authorised allocation of values: who gets what, when and how much? This question is relevant at many different levels, in many different places and in very different ways.

Understanding the evolving landscape of extremism in the 21st century.

The Institute of Political Science is a vibrant department with nearly 70 academic staff in Leiden and nearby The Hague.

Under what circumstances do paramilitary groups limit their use of political violence? This article examines the use of political violence by the PIRA.

Profile Area Political Legitimacy, Leiden University

We are very happy to welcome you to spend the fall semester, spring semester or full academic year studying with us at the Institute of Political Science Leiden or campus The Hague. Here you will find practical information as an exchange student.