Patrick Kenis appointed as Professor of Public Governance

Complex problems

Central to his research is identifying adequate governance mechanisms in the public domain for highly complex situations, for instance, complex problems in the field of migration, regional development, child abuse, sustainability, security, organized crime, appropriate education, the energy transition, the euro crisis, etc. It is characteristic of such issues is that the solution can only be found by taking into account the environment and experiences of the actors, behavioral change in individuals, collective needs, and institutional frameworks, as well as the dynamics between these different worlds. His research links up well with the two impact themes on which Tilburg University is focusing: Empowering a Resilient Society and Enhancing Health and Wellbeing.

Making connections

A constant thread in Kenis’ approach to research is making connections between various fields of study (law, economics and management, behavioral sciences) and between actors in these fields. These fields and actors may be very different, but the objective is not to downplay or integrate these differences. The point is rather to see the power of different competencies and insights and to understand how they can be connected in successful ways.

Contribution to education

In addition to research, Kenis will also play a role in education as part of the Bachelor’s programs of Public Governance and Bestuurskunde and the Master’s program of Public Governance and will be supervising PhD students. In addition, he will work together with TIAS in further developing post-academic education in the field of governance in the public domain.

Professor Patrick Kenis (1959) earned his PhD from the European University Institute in Florence (cum laude) in 1989. Between 2001 and 2008, he was the chair of the Department of Organization Studies of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Subsequently, he was Academic Dean and board member at TIAS and at Antwerp Management School. He has worked at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the University of Konstanz, Germany, and the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research in Vienna, Austria. Kenis has a large number of publications to his name and has conducted a large number of studies. His work is acknowledged internationally and he is a much sought-after speaker at congresses, seminars, and meetings of professionals and executives.