Class of 2021

It is with great pleasure that we present (some of) the Class of 2021. Every year around 20 PhD-candidates from 12 universities in the Netherlands and Belgium start with our PhD training program. Below the first PhD Candidates of the Class of 2021 introduce their PhD projects to you.

Noortje Hoevens

Radboud University of Nijmegen

I’m a PhD-candidate at the Radboud University Nijmegen, focusing on coproduction, citizen engagement and e-governance. Also part of the European consortium INTERLINK, which aims to develop a novel collaborative governance model. The goal of the consortium is to overcome barriers preventing administrations from reusing and sharing services with private partners, including citizens.

Vhalinavho Khavhagali

University of Twente

I am a PhD candidate at the University of Twente, My research focusses on climate change adaptation policy of South Africa. I am interested in understanding and explaining the key drivers and barriers across different governance levels in South Africa. Specifically, this research aims to develop a theoretical framework and scientific perspective to assess, understand and explain what and how drivers and barriers emerge in the process of multilevel governance and implementation of climate change adaptation policy.

Anieke Kranenburg

Tilburg University

I’m a PhD candidate at the Department of Public Law and Governance at Tilburg University. The objective of my research project is to develop, implement and demonstrate regulatory and governance frameworks for large-scale energy storage. The research focuses on what can be done by a variety of actors at various levels of governance to overcome barriers and strengthen enablers to contribute to a ‘just’ energy transition. The PhD project is part of the RELEASE (Reversible Large-scale Energy Storage) consortium.

Elina Jonitz

Erasmus University Rotterdam

I am a PhD candidate at the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. In my PhD research, I examine the multi-level politics and governance of post-2014 migrant integration in small and medium-sized towns and rural areas. My work focuses primarily on the Netherlands. My PhD is embedded in the European research project Whole-COMM (Horizon 2020).

Renée Michels

Erasmus university of rotterdam

I am a PhD-candidate at the Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management. My dissertation focusses on the governance of medical technology. Conventional means of regulating new medical technologies may not be sufficient to guarantee their quality, accessibility, and affordability. I use qualitative methods to analyze this issue. I have a background in Health Technology Assessment and hold a degree in Health Economics and in Medical Anthropology and Sociology.

Mirjam Kalisvaart

Erasmus University Rotterdam

I am a PhD-candidate at the Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management. My dissertation focusses on the development of an innovative arrangement for reflexive regulation of nursing home care based on narrative methods. I will study the current use and experiences of narrative methods and how these could be used for changes in regulation.

Sybren Hardiek

Radboud University of Nijmegen

My PhD at Radboud University focuses on dynamics of the European Council asserting itself in 'Chefsache' or crises - the Eurocrisis, the refugee/migration crisis, Brexit, and now Covid-19; in the near future perhaps Climate Change. I work in an interdisciplinary setting, combining Public Administration and Political Science lenses with a European/Migration Law component

Sanne Jongeling

Radboud University Nijmegen

I’m a PhD candidate at the Public Administration department of the Radboud University. My research focusses on how to effectively monitor the municipal youth healthcare domain. The research includes subjects like learning organizations, transforming public services, and combining qualitative and quantitative data in monitoring processes.

Janna Goijaerts

Leiden University

I’m a PhD candidate at the LUMC – Campus The Hague, and affiliated to the Institute of Public Administration, Leiden University. Within my PhD I bridge the two disciplines of public health and public administration by researching the institutional mechanisms of health inequality. I start from the experience of people who have a combination of socio-economic and health issues and trace these experiences to the institutions that have affected them, by interviewing professionals and conducting a policy analysis.

Jelle Turkenburg

University of Twente

I am a PhD-candidate at the Public Administration department of the University of Twente, focusing upon democratic innovation, deliberation, citizen participation and referendums. The objective of my research is to assert the feasibility of innovative, democratic instruments in the Netherlands. Specifically, the research examines the effects of these innovations on citizens’ political knowledge development and political attitudes. This PHD project is part of the REDRESS (Revitalized Democracy for Resilient Societies) consortium.

Lynn Colder

Leiden University

I am a PhD-candidate at the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University and at the LUMC – Campus the Hague. The wellbeing of healthcare professionals is central to my PhD, especially in light of administrative burden and a lack of autonomy. What are new perspectives on accountability, and how can we give account in such a way that the wellbeing of healthcare professionals is improved? What initiatives are already put in place to address this problem, and which challenges do they face in implementation? I combine my background in Health Sciences with insights of Public Administration to answer these questions. Together with IZZ and PGGM, we put the perspective of healthcare professionals central to our research, and translate our scientific insights into practice.