Agendaitem

VB-VVBB-NIG Dialogue – Increasing the social impact of Public Administration Research

Datum: 6 februari 2025
Tijd: 16:45 - 18:15
Locatie: Ghent University
Verenigingsactiviteiten

Governments, science funders, such as the European Commission, FWO and NWO, as well as wider society increasingly expect scientific research to be translated into societal value or '(research) impact'. Thus, explaining expected impacts is increasingly part of project proposals. Moreover, support for scientific research in society seems no longer as self-evident as it used to be. Think of critical signals from residents about 'research fatigue' in neighborhoods, where people no longer see the value of researchers who only 'get' data and do not actually contribute to sustainable change. Or of groups in society who no longer trust science, which complicates the contribution of research results to solving social problems. So, our public administration field needs to be able to articulate our societal contribution to support our legitimacy.

During the VB-VVBB-NIG dialogue, we will conduct an interactive discussion on the social impact of public administration using the engaging and informative 'Journey of Progress' card game. This card game introduces players in groups to the Theory of Change method in a short period of time in a low-threshold manner. Theory of Change is a widely used method for planning, monitoring, and evaluating impact. For example, both NWO and the European Commission expect a detailed Theory fo Change in project proposals in a significant proportion of programs.

By participating in this meeting, participants, ranging from research master student to full professor, hit two targets with one arrow. On the one hand, participants develop a shared vision of how and why the field of public administration can generate social impact. On the other hand, participants become familiar with the Theory of Change approach with which they can benefit when writing research proposals or achieving impact during their research project.

Program

After a brief introduction on social impact (by Dr. Stefan de Jong and Prof. Dr. Arwin van Buuren), we will play the game in groups of 6-12 participants. After playing the game, participants reflect on their experience and outcomes for the field of public administration. The reflection is followed by the presentation of two annual prizes: the 'Best Supervisor of the Year' award, and the 'Van Poelje prize' for the best PhD dissertation.

This event is organized by the Vereniging voor Bestuurskunde, the Vlaamse Vereniging voor Bestuur en Beleid, and the Netherlands Institute of Governance.

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