Relations between public and private/non-profit actors in multi-level settings

Governments across the globe rely on private and non-profit sector entities for their expertise, capacity and services. For instance, major infrastructure projects are frequently implemented by consortia of major corporations, cultural associations are often in part reliant on government subsidies and public policy-makers often incorporate input from both private-sector interest and NGO's in the regulatory process. A sufficient level of trust between public, private and/or non-profit organizations is thus necessary for the implementation of projects to go smoothly and for governments to attain sufficient input from other sectors. Simultaneously, too much trust may for instance lead to regulatory capture, a phenomon in which a government is heavily influenced in its capacity as a regulator by private interests. Therefore, under some circumstances, some level of distrust between private actors and governmental organizations may be warranted. GOVTRUST will study the causes, dynamics and effects of trust and distrust between public sector entities and private and/or non-profit entities, with a focus on the potential functionalities and dysfunctionalities of both trust and distrust.

• Belli, S. S., & Bursens, P. (2023). The revolving door in Brussels: A process-oriented approach to employee recruitment by interest organisations. Journal of European Public Policy, 30(1), 128-149. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2021.1993312
• Boon, J., Wynen, J., & Callens, C. (2023). A stakeholder perspective on public sector innovation: Linking the target groups of innovations to the inclusion of stakeholder ideas. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 89(2), 330-345. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208523211043704
• Callens, C. (2023). User Involvement as a Catalyst for Collaborative Public Service Innovation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 33(2), 329-341. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muac030
• Castelblanco, G., Guevara, J., Rojas, D., Correa, J., & Verhoest, K. (2023). Environmental Impact Assessment Effectiveness in Public–Private Partnerships: Study on the Colombian Toll Road Program. Journal of Management in Engineering, 39(2), 05023002. https://doi.org/10.1061/JMENEA.MEENG-5015
• Callens, C., Verhoest, K., Klijn, E. H., Nõmmik, S., Pina, V., & Brogaard, L. (2023). How service users envision their engagement in processes of collaborative innovation: A Q-methodological study on user involvement in eHealth collaborations. Public Policy and Administration, 09520767231170298. https://doi.org/10.1177/09520767231170298
• Godet, C., & Redert, B. (2022). Conflating policy, democracy and legitimacy: The case of stakeholder involvement. In C. Lord, P. Bursens, D. De Bièvre, J. Trondal, & R. A. Wessel (Eds.), The Politics of Legitimation in the European Union. Legitimacy Recovered? Routledge.
  
• Callens, C., Verhoest, K., & Boon, J. (2022). Combined effects of procurement and collaboration on innovation in public-private-partnerships: A qualitative comparative analysis of 24 infrastructure projects. Public Management Review, 24(6), 860-881. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2020.1867228
• Lord, C., Bursens, P., De Bièvre, D., Trondal, J., & Wessel, R. A. (Eds.). (2022). The Politics of Legitimation in the European Union: Legitimacy Recovered? Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/The-Politics-of-Legitimation-in-the-European-Union-Legitimacy-Recovered/Lord-Bursens-Bievre-Trondal-Wessel/p/book/9781032101408
  
• Salazar, J., Guevara, J., & Verhoest, K. (2021). Inferential Analysis of Road Infrastructure PPP Sponsor Networks. Journal of Management in Engineering, 37(6), 04021069. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000971
• Popelier, P., Kleizen, B., Declerck, C., Glavina, M., & Dooren, W. V. (2021). Health Crisis Measures and Standards for Fair Decision-Making: A Normative and Empirical-Based Account of the Interplay Between Science, Politics and Courts. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 12(3), 618-643. https://doi.org/10.1017/err.2021.7
• De Bièvre, D., & Poletti, A. (2020). Towards Explaining Varying Degrees of Politicization of EU Trade Agreement Negotiations. Politics and Governance, 8(1), 243-253.

• Using stakeholders strategically to gain authority over principals in the EU – 2022-2025 – FWO Junior postdoctoral fellowship – Rik Joosen, Koen Verhoest
• ​Private capital for public services. Is private capital affecting public accountability and government executive capacity in social service markets? – 2022-2024 – FWO PhD Fellowship fundamental research – Simon Demuynck, Wouter Van Dooren​
  
• The Role of Free Trade Agreements in Building a Resilient Normative Framework for International Technology Transfer – 2022-2024 – FWO PhD fellowship – Felipe De Andrade, Esther van Zimmeren
• Public trust in contemporary Europe: Trusting the Antitrust (PROTRUST) – 2022-2023 – BOF Opvangmandaat MSCA postdoc – Elena Escalante Block, Dirk De Bièvre
• Implementing innovative financing for nature-based solutions in Flemish cities (Innofins) – 2021-2025 – FWO Strategic Basic Research (SBO) – Wouter Van Dooren, Koen Verhoest (partner)
• Towards a new regulatory oversight for the housing corporations – 2021-2022 – Vlaamse overheid, Decretaal Steunpunt Beleidsrelevant Onderzoek – Wouter Van Dooren, Koen Verhoest, Diederik Vermeir
• Stakeholder involvement as legitimation strategy: an illustration of EU financial agencies – 2020-2021 – Dirk De Bièvre