Never has good policy been so important. From unemployment and a lack of affordable housing to regulating cryptocurrencies and protecting against cybersecurity threats, the challenges we face are complex and global. The text explains how policymaking works: from the emergence of policy ideas to deciding…

Although seen as the fastest and cheapest way to global climate protection, a uniform global carbon price would have major consequences for the economic competitiveness of countries. Hauke Ward, who recently joined Leiden University, showed in the journal Energy Economics that modern western countries…

I am a Lecturer in Contemporary Military History and Security Studies, teaching in both the History and International Relations programmes here at Leiden. I grew up in Yorkshire, England and was interested in history and international politics from a young age. In 2003 I went to the University of Cambridge…

The case note examines the recent views adopted by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on a communication against Belgium.

Recent years have seen a vibrant scholarship on health policy and politics. While much is now known about changes to health policies and institutions over time, this study finds that scholarship still lacks research on the linkages between health policies and health outcomes (Marmor & Wendt, 2012).…

GTGC looks back on another successful edition of its annual conference. From 5 to 7 June, the programme held its third international conference, this year with the theme 'Emerging Trends in Global Governance'.

Here you can find an overview of the offered courses provided by the Department of Economics per study program.

The master's specialisation in Sociology of Policy in Practice provides academic and professional skills to independently design and execute research projects within and outside organisations.

meet our staff

The research in the framework of the Jean Monnet Chair is focused on the following points.

Governance is a complex puzzle of organisations, people and divergent interests. Academic research in this field furthers our knowledge of the role of public administrators, of different organisational structures, of the people who work at such organisations and of how these organisations implement…

The Una Europa Clusters bring together leading experts and experienced staff from numerous academic and professional service departments across the Una Europa institutions.

The organising committee of the congress 'Social Benefits of Higher Education' has decided to postpone the congress.

De minor Economie en Beleid van de Universiteit Leiden leert je oplossingen te vinden voor problemen waar het Nederlandse openbaar bestuur elke dag aan werkt.

In the CarbonCap project, consumption oriented technological options and policy measures are identified as an addition to the present EU and world climate policy.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FSW) offers an inspiring and competitive, international working and learning environment to around 1,025 staff and around 7,000 students from home and abroad on 13 bachelor's, master's and research master's programmes.

Discover the new MSc in Public Sector Economics at Leiden University, offered entirely in Dutch. This program prepares future policy economists by bridging economic theory, Dutch institutions, and real-world policy challenges. Starting September 2025 in The Hague, it focuses on key issues like inequality,…

You will learn to produce solutions to current issues found where economics and public administration meet. You will analyse the ways in which social-economic policy and regulatory governance can be improved, and how to realise those improvements in the recalcitrant administrative playing field, in…

The Hague Program for Cyber Norms, a research program at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, published its second policy brief, in which Dennis Broeders, Liisi Adamson and Rogier Creemers explore aspects of the relationship between China and Russia in cyberspace.

Read more about our staff here.

The Institute of Public Administration studies the complex problems facing the public sector in the 21st century, from climate policy to the effects of digitalisation. Its researchers analyse, explain and help come up with solutions to the challenges of society today.

This online advanced summer programme of Leiden University and ICCT focuses on the field of preventing, detecting and responding to violent extremism and gives insight in the opportunities and challenges of various approaches.

To argue that people can control the relative contributions of goal-driven and stimulus-driven processes to decision-making and action selection.

The research group on Diplomacy and Global Affairs studies international diplomacy, international organisation, global, transnational, multi-level and comparative governance.

The new Master’s programme in Public Sector Economics (MSc Economics) prepares you to become the policy economist of the future. The programme enables you to bridge the gap between economic theories, scientific methods, the functioning of Dutch institutions and policy processes, as well as current societal…

The level of congruence between parties and their voters can vary greatly from one policy issue to another, which raises questions regarding the effectiveness of political representation. We seek to explain variation in party–voter congruence across issues and parties.

This edited volume provides a synthesis on the question of business attitudes towards and its influence over the development of the modern welfare state. It gathers leading scholars in the field to offer both in-depth historical country case studies and comparative chapters that discuss contemporary…

In this policy paper, Joachim Koops and Christian Patz are discussing Germany’s comprehensive assessment of Protection of Civilians readiness at the national level.

Find out how to apply for Policy in Practice at Leiden University by following our step-by step guide.

The project will support Responsible, Research and Innovation (RRI) policy experiments in the healthcare sector in three European territories: in Murcia (ES), Örebro (SE) and the Republic of Cyprus (CY). CHERRIES will engage the territorial stakeholder ecosystems in participatory agenda setting, need…

The Economics and Governance specialisation of the Master in Public Administration teaches you to formulate problem-solving approaches to concrete policy issues found at the intersection between economics and public administration, specifically focusing on welfare states and markets. This specialisation…

Here you'll find selected publications and media attention from our group.

Het Empower your PhD-project is een universiteitsbreed project, geïnitieerd vanuit de Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen (FSW)

In order to successfully implement the kernvisie, it is important to examine how we can improve the quality of our education.

A wind turbine near your home? The energy transition is not seen as just by all parties concerned. It’s essential to involve local residents, argues Emma ter Mors, social psychologist. As a researcher, she focuses on identifying factors that influence public acceptance of energy technologies. Isn't…

The Master’s in Health, Ageing and Society gives you the insight, knowledge and skills to change eldercare. This change is needed in order to guarantee care for senior citizens in the future, but also offers solutions for growing old more happily and with more vitality.

The Public Administration specialisation in Economics, Public Administration and Management combines public administration with economics to analyse issues such as the climate or housing crisis. You will learn to think economically and formulate policy advice.

Leiden University endorses inclusiveness and diversity. It is open to all those who wish to study or work here, and to develop their full potential. The University is an open community where everyone who wants to contribute to its ambitions and to all that it stands for will feel at home and have equal…

The Faculty of Humanities has two advisory groups for Diversty & Inclusion: one for staff members and one for students.

The D&I Expertise Office is in close contact with various student and staff networks regarding diversity and inclusion.

Many countries and regions face a wide variety of challenges resulting from migration and mobility. Solutions that have been formulated range from policies and regulations for immigration, to education and stimulating social participation, to restructuring the welfare state. These challenges and policies…

How does the presence of internally displaced people impact on the justice and security concerns of longer-term residents in host communities, and to what extent do residents have different concerns than displaced?

Within the Centre we cover several research themes.

The Law of the European Union is a complete reference work on all aspects of the law of the European Union, including the institutional framework, the Internal Market, Economic and Monetary Union and external policy and action.

This special issue of the Journal of European Policy presents results from the research on the European Union Enlargement and its Integration Capacity. The Journal of European Public Policy is one of the leading journals in this field.

The end of the year often means looking back with lists, overviews and stories. This combines nicely in a list of all the books published this year by various political scientists at Leiden University. Indeed, in terms of books, these scholars have certainly not been idle. A unique collection of stories,…

In this book, Lydie Cabane examines the history of disaster management in South Africa.

This paper, written by Silvia D'Amato & Andrea Terlizzi, investigates the extent to which the European Union is strategically engaging against terrorism.