Public Administration (Research): Institutional Change and Reform

Degree: Master of Science in Public Administration (Research)
Mode of Study: Full-time
Duration: 2 years
Start date: September, February
Language of instruction: English
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The Research Master’s programme is special in three respects. First, the programme addresses core issues of public administration by examining both the normative foundations of the field and the role institutions play in the conduct of public affairs. Second, much of the academic programme addresses these issues within a European context, emphasising the interactions among multiple levels of government. Third and most importantly, the programme has a very strong research orientation. That is, research training is provided throughout the programme so that graduates are well prepared to design and conduct independent research on issues of public affairs either in a scholarly setting or at a very sophisticated level within applied research settings. The Research Master’s programme is a solid preparation for students interested in a PhD.

The information about this programme is available in the following languages:

This programme is designed to prepare students to conduct independent research on core themes of public administration. This is not an applied curriculum like that found in many Master’s programmes in Public Administration. Rather, the Leiden programme emphasises both strong training in the core academic issues confronting public administration and, especially, extensive work in research methods. Graduates of the programme should be more than informed consumers of research, critically evaluating the work of others. Rather, we expect our graduates to engage in international academic and applied debates over issues of core concern to public administration by independently formulating, performing, and assessing scientific research at a level that is sufficient for publication in scholarly journals.

Prof. David Lowery

“I teach my students to formulate a research question themselves, and to set up and carry out a research project independently.”

“Public Administration is a dynamic specialisation. Issues currently under discussion include the question of whether we should privatize public organisations and whether we should impose restrictions on the size of government. My specialist area is the relation between bureaucracy and democracy. Within the lectures, we frequently handle theoretical issues using case studies. A typical example would be: What drives bureaucrats – self-interest or public interests? We ask students to analyse such issues using comparative case studies and surveys.

I left the U.S. in 2004 in order to lecture in Leiden. While in the U.S, I was editor of the Journal of Politics. My task was to stimulate people to come up with ideas and to develop them into academic articles. This is also what I do with my students. I teach them to formulate a research question themselves, and to set up and carry out a research project independently.

Research is the key theme of this programme. In the first year, during the lectures on research methods, students have to analyse the research findings of mainly Leiden researchers. Will they reach the same conclusions? Are they able to add anything to the research? In the second year the students set up their own research project. We expect at least half the students to continue to study for a PhD.”