Machiel Van Der Heijden
Biographic Data
| ID | 4128527 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Machiel Van Der Heijden |
| GIVEN NAMES | Machiel |
| FAMILY NAME | Van Der Heijden |
| SIGNATURE | VAN DER HEIJDEN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Utrecht University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5723-3620 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 13 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Overlooking the obvious? Understanding patterns of policy inaction in organizational decision-making
This article theorizes on how patterns of policy inaction emerge, where policymakers systematically fail to address pressing societal issues or signals about failing policies. Building on Herbert Simon’s core concept of decision premises, we argue how such patterns of inaction result from the systematic biases and blind spots inherent in the organizational design and institutional context of ministerial departments and public agencies. By explici…
Crossing boundaries at the frontline
Breaking down administrative burdens
This study investigates whether reducing administrative burdens can increase interest in active labor market programs among job-seeking women. Employing a user-centered approach, the research is divided into two phases. In Phase 1, we conduct interviews with women and a focus group with service providers to identify relevant barriers for take-up. The qualitative data shows that learning costs were the most prominent barrier. Learning costs could …
What Does This Button Do? Departmental Restructurings, Information Processing, and Administrative Errors
In times of political turnover, incoming governments frequently reorganize parts of the central bureaucracy. They not only do so by reshuffling ministerial portfolios, but also by altering the internal design of ministerial departments. This paper problematizes these departmental restructurings from an organizational design perspective, linking them to several unintended consequences or administrative errors. In particular, the theoretical argume…
Liking or Needing? Theorizing on the Role of Affect in Network Behavior
Informal networks are crucial for the functioning of public organizations and the quality of government service. Because of this, public administration scholars increasingly theorize on what drives informal network behavior, particularly in terms of whom public officials contact for information or advice. However, existing studies provide a rather rational and strategic account of how such networking occurs, pointing to factors, such as preferenc…
Problematizing partner selection
Although networked collaboration is often linked to positive outcomes, choosing suitable partners for collaboration can be difficult. Actors often only have limited information about the preferences, capabilities, and trustworthiness of prospective collaborators, meaning that considerable uncertainty may underlie collaborative choices. This article analyses the decision-making uncertainty associated with collaborative choices and assesses factors…
Agencies without borders
Transnational collaboration between regulatory agencies has proliferated rapidly within the last three decades. However, given that information regarding the motives, trustworthiness, and capabilities of potential partners is typically imperfect, decisions about with whom to collaborate are inevitably characterized by a degree of uncertainty. To better capture these dynamics, this article uses a network analytical perspective and hypothesizes tha…
Network relationships and standard adoption
The soft law measures that transnational regulatory networks produce have become increasingly important in regulating cross‐border market activity. However, domestic agencies vary considerably in terms of the rate by which these soft law measures are adopted, and the ways in which they spread across jurisdictions are not well understood. This article argues that existing theoretical explanations referring to socialization or power dynamics have a…
Agencies without borders
Transnational collaboration between regulatory agencies has proliferated rapidly within the last three decades. However, given that information regarding the motives, trustworthiness, and capabilities of potential partners is typically imperfect, decisions about with whom to collaborate are inevitably characterized by a degree of uncertainty. To better capture these dynamics, this article uses a network analytical perspective and hypothesizes tha…
Network relationships and standard adoption
The soft law measures that transnational regulatory networks produce have become increasingly important in regulating cross‐border market activity. However, domestic agencies vary considerably in terms of the rate by which these soft law measures are adopted, and the ways in which they spread across jurisdictions are not well understood. This article argues that existing theoretical explanations referring to socialization or power dynamics have a…
Problematizing partner selection
Although networked collaboration is often linked to positive outcomes, choosing suitable partners for collaboration can be difficult. Actors often only have limited information about the preferences, capabilities, and trustworthiness of prospective collaborators, meaning that considerable uncertainty may underlie collaborative choices. This article analyses the decision-making uncertainty associated with collaborative choices and assesses factors…
Network relationships and standard adoption
The soft law measures that transnational regulatory networks produce have become increasingly important in regulating cross‐border market activity. However, domestic agencies vary considerably in terms of the rate by which these soft law measures are adopted, and the ways in which they spread across jurisdictions are not well understood. This article argues that existing theoretical explanations referring to socialization or power dynamics have a…
Agencies without borders
Transnational collaboration between regulatory agencies has proliferated rapidly within the last three decades. However, given that information regarding the motives, trustworthiness, and capabilities of potential partners is typically imperfect, decisions about with whom to collaborate are inevitably characterized by a degree of uncertainty. To better capture these dynamics, this article uses a network analytical perspective and hypothesizes tha…
Liking or Needing? Theorizing on the Role of Affect in Network Behavior
Informal networks are crucial for the functioning of public organizations and the quality of government service. Because of this, public administration scholars increasingly theorize on what drives informal network behavior, particularly in terms of whom public officials contact for information or advice. However, existing studies provide a rather rational and strategic account of how such networking occurs, pointing to factors, such as preferenc…
Problematizing partner selection
Although networked collaboration is often linked to positive outcomes, choosing suitable partners for collaboration can be difficult. Actors often only have limited information about the preferences, capabilities, and trustworthiness of prospective collaborators, meaning that considerable uncertainty may underlie collaborative choices. This article analyses the decision-making uncertainty associated with collaborative choices and assesses factors…
What Does This Button Do? Departmental Restructurings, Information Processing, and Administrative Errors
In times of political turnover, incoming governments frequently reorganize parts of the central bureaucracy. They not only do so by reshuffling ministerial portfolios, but also by altering the internal design of ministerial departments. This paper problematizes these departmental restructurings from an organizational design perspective, linking them to several unintended consequences or administrative errors. In particular, the theoretical argume…
Overlooking the obvious? Understanding patterns of policy inaction in organizational decision-making
This article theorizes on how patterns of policy inaction emerge, where policymakers systematically fail to address pressing societal issues or signals about failing policies. Building on Herbert Simon’s core concept of decision premises, we argue how such patterns of inaction result from the systematic biases and blind spots inherent in the organizational design and institutional context of ministerial departments and public agencies. By explici…
Crossing boundaries at the frontline
Breaking down administrative burdens
This study investigates whether reducing administrative burdens can increase interest in active labor market programs among job-seeking women. Employing a user-centered approach, the research is divided into two phases. In Phase 1, we conduct interviews with women and a focus group with service providers to identify relevant barriers for take-up. The qualitative data shows that learning costs were the most prominent barrier. Learning costs could …
Public Policy and Administration Research (5 works) · Political science (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Business (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Economics (3 works) · Psychology (3 works) · Agency (philosophy (2 works) · Homophily (2 works) · Law (2 works)