Arco Timmermans launches book ‘Public Affairs in Maatschappelijk Perspectief’
On Thursday 29 August, Arco Timmermans, Professor by special appointment Public Affairs at the Institute of Public Administration in The Hague launched the book ‘Public Affairs in Maatschappelijk Perspectief’(Public Affairs from a Social Perspective).
The scientific field of Public Affairs is growing and so is the public interest. Lobbyists are focussing less on politics and are increasingly turning their attentions towards stakeholders in society. Issues within the community are becoming more important day by day and as a result they are increasingly determining public affairs strategies.
Until now, these developments were rarely discussed in professional literature. Quite a few books on public affairs have been published over the years, also within the Netherlands, but most of these books are more of a ‘how to’ or ‘hands on’ calibre and although they have overall proven their usefulness, the field was ready for a qualitative leap forward.
Public Affairs in Maatschappelijk Perspectief breaks away from this traditional approach. It is also specifically aimed at the ‘reflective professional’. This is, in short, someone who designs a plan of action based on practically oriented theories and executes, tests and evaluates it in their professional practice.