Bram Klievink Chair of The Hague Centre for Digital Governance

Bram Klievink’s chair focuses on digitalisation and policy at the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University. He studies the interplay between digitalisation and government. How digital innovations challenge established practices and institutions of public governance and how these innovations can be used to support good and effective governance, is the core of his research.

Areas of interest: collaborative cross-sector governance, algorithmic governance, digital platforms, policy implementation, e-governance, data-driven government.

Sarah Giest Professor Public Policy with a focus on Innovation and Sustainability

Sarah Giest’s research focuses on public digitization processes and data use within government. In this line of research, she looks at the role of data and the decisions of individuals handling this data at different points in the public decision-making process. Her recent work revolves around utilizing data-driven technologies for sustainability and welfare policies. 

Areas of interest: public policy, policy implementation, data-driven policymaking, urban governance, environmental policy, innovation systems.

Alex Ingrams Assistant professor

Alex Ingrams’ work is primarily focused on the role of transparency in government. He looks at how the use of data in public organisations is influenced by political and organisational pressures and how Big Data affects public values such as transparency and accountability. He is also interested in the evaluation of public sector reforms and their connection with technological innovation.

Areas of interest: e-governance, transparency policy, artificial intelligence, public sector reform, private-public partnerships, comparative public administration, public administration and development.

Matt Young Assistant professor

Dr. Young’s primary research agenda focuses on public sector innovation implementation, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies. His work examines how institutional arrangements and the fit between technology and task shape available policy choices, and lead to implementation success or failure.

Areas of interest: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related technologies

Andrei Poama Assistant Professor

Andrei Poama's research focus is on normative theories. His work covers criminal justice ethics, the connection between principles of justice and the problem of (government) authority, the ethics of public policy, and democratic theory.

Toon Kerkhoff Assistant Professor

Toon Kerkhoff is assistant professor of Public Administration. His work is characterized by a historical approach to core questions in public administration and politics; most notably on corruption, integrity, public value(s) and public sector and civil service reform.

Julián Villodre de Costa Assistant professor

Julián Villodre is an Assistant Professor at The Institute of Public Administration, Leiden University. Aside from being a part of the The Hague Centre for Digital Governance. He is also member of the Lab Research Group Innovation, Technology and Public Management (ITGesPub), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). He holds a PhD in Law, Government and Public Policies from UAM, with a dissertation that studies the impacts of social media affordances on administrative transparency. His research focuses on the interplay between technology and public management. His research topics include digital government, open government, algorithmic governance, public sector transparency and public communication.

Friso Selten PhD candidate

Friso Selten is a Ph.D. candidate in the SAILS project. In this interdisciplinary research project, a collaboration between the Institute of Public Administration, Advanced Computer Science, and eLaw, he studies the use of Artificial Intelligence by public organisations. Specifically, in his research project he investigates the capabilities public organizations require to successfully implement AI innovations in their primary processes.

Areas of interest: Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

Maedeh Nasri PhD candidate

Maedeh Nasri is a PhD candidate. Her project is embedded in an interdisciplinary project with the goal of identifying factors contributing to an inclusive school setting with and for vulnerable teenagers, such as adolescents with autism, which creates a linkage between computer science, policy,  psychology and architecture. An inclusive school setting includes physical (the architectural design of school buildings), social (interaction with peers) and cultural (what is customary or permissible) levels, which are nested in local and national policies.

Júlia García Puig PhD Fellow

Júlia focuses on the role of governments in handling the ever-growing amounts of data derived from the unfolding digital transformations. She examines various aspects of digital data governance – including data privacy, data-sharing practices and surveillance – and the implications for power configurations and state legitimacy, especially in the Global South.  

Areas of interest: Data Policies; Digital Governance; Digital Repression; Legitimacy

Brecht Weerheijm PhD candidate

Brecht Weerheijm is a PhD candidate, studying the use of AI and its effects on uncertainty in the domain of security. He is also interested in the effects of digitalisation on the ethics of public organisations, specifically in local contexts. In addition he is involved with the BSc Public Administration specialisation Digitalisation, Data and Governance. Brecht’s background is in public administration and political philosophy.

Maria Galeano Galvan Guest

Maria explores the challenges surrounding the governance of digital innovations. Her research uses a process approach to study the interactions between digital platforms and institutions and their effect on the management of public spaces, such as housing, roads or energy grids. 

Areas of interest: digital innovations, public governance, regulation, innovation policy,  institutional change, socio-technical transitions.