Kohei Suzuki is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University. His research examines bureaucracy and the quality of government from a comparative perspective. His work focuses particularly on how merit, politicization, and other features of bureaucratic systems are associated with government performance and the attitudes and behavior of public employees. He also studies how citizens view and evaluate public bureaucracy, including questions of representation and political neutrality. He received his Ph.D. in Public Policy from Indiana University Bloomington in the United States and was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Quality of Government Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He was also awarded the title of Docent in Political Science by the University of Gothenburg. He joined Leiden University in 2019. Please visit his website for more information: https://koheisuzuki.weebly.com/

More information about Kohei Suzuki

Originally from Okazaki City in Japan, Kohei Suzuki studied law at Tohoku University (BA in Law) and received his MA in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University in the United States. After graduation, he returned to Japan and worked for several years at private-sector research and consulting firms, conducting policy research and consulting for local and central governments. This practical experience motivated him to return to academia for further study. He obtained his Ph.D. in Public Policy from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (now the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs) at Indiana University Bloomington in June 2016. From 2016 to 2018, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Quality of Government Institute, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He joined the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University in January 2019. He was awarded the title of Docent in Political Science by the University of Gothenburg in 2022.

Academic expertise

Bureaucracy and Bureaucratic Structures
Quality of Government
Merit and Politicization
Representation in Public Bureaucracy
Bureaucratic Behavior
Local Government and Municipal Performance
 

Courses taught

Institutional Foundations of Good Government and Governance
Architectures of International and European Governance
The Architecture of Good Government: Comparing Institutions Across Countries
Master Thesis Supervision (bureaucracy, quality of government, government performance, and related topics in public administration)
Collaborative Governance
Strategic Public Management and Collaboration
Research Design
Research Methods

Publications