The formation of a new government is in full swing in the Netherlands. Or more accurately, it is in full deadlock. As a result, the possibility of a minority government is being discussed. Would that be a good idea?

Recently three Public Administration students of Leiden University gave a sturdy advice to the Tax Authorities about the effects of the reorganization, at the invitation of the Ministry of Finance.

Are predictive archaeological maps a reliable tool to play an important role in the spatial planning? One of the goals of this project was to develop best practices for the production and application of the models.

On 14 and 15 March, students can register as candidates for a place in the University Council (UR) or one of the faculty councils. But what do these participation bodies do? UR member Femke van der Meulen takes us through the agenda for the next meeting.

Tackling human trafficking has been a priority on international, national and local policy agendas for some decades now. Yet a number of knowledge gaps stand in the way of how the issue is approached. Interdisciplinary research is essential if we want to expand our knowledge to benefit policy and pr…

In the week of 16 – 21 September, an international group of more than 50 scientists met at the Many Criteria Optimization and Decision Analysis (MACODA) workshop. They discussed many-criteria optimization, which is the searching for optimal solutions when one has to consider a larger number of criteria.…

On Wednesday 11 April, the festive ceremony of the leadership agenda took place, which was developed by the Leiden Leadership Centre in collaboration with partners from practice. The ‘Moving Forward with Public Leadership’ research and development agenda was handed over to Mayor of The Hague, Pauline…

Arco Timmermans, professor by special appointment Public Affairs, wrote an article about coalitions in times of corona for Verenigings Management Magazine van De Nederlandse Associate.

During the last weeks of 2018, Judi Mesman presented the 'Kennisagenda Jeugd' to various departments and ministries, where she was welcomed with open arms. As figurehead of the NWA 'Jeugd' route, Judi worked together with the 'Taskforce Jeugd' in recent years on the development of the 'Kennisagenda…

From 1 August 2018, Alanna O'Malley was appointed as Chair of United Nations Studies in Peace and Justice, focusing on the ‘lesser-known actors’ of the UN: women, the youth, the agents of informal diplomatic networks within the UN and actors from the Global South. This Special Chair has been created…

For too long the Dutch collective memory has judged the Jewish Council too harshly. This perspective needs to be adjusted, Bart van der Boom argues in his new book ‘De politiek van het kleinste kwaad’ (lit. ‘The Politics of the Lesser Evil’).

Met groot plezier heeft de Universiteit Leiden van 1 tot 4 november het X Congreso Internacional de la Asociación de Hispanistas del Benelux (AHBx) georganiseerd, met het thema Transhispanismos: contactos y contagios (Transhispanismes: contact en besmetting). De AHBx is een platform in de Benelux dat…

October and November not only bring a number of proud Political Science graduates, it is also the season to determine who wrote the best bachelor’s thesis. For 2021-2022, fifteen theses were nominated. During the various graduation ceremonies the two final winners were announced: Essi Maria Teresia…

During the annual graduation ceremony, not only were the Bachelor's students in Political Science honoured, but also those students who had written exceptional theses. The thesis prizes reward work that excels in originality, social relevance and academic quality. This year's winners are Ronny Wijling…

2021, again, sees a rich harvest of bachelor theses in Political Science. Students have been tackling fascinating subjects—ranging from European solidarity in the COVID-19 crisis to the representation of women in democratically elected parliaments—and crowning their research projects with interesting,…

A fragmented political landscape, permanent pressure from current affairs and an increasingly political civil service: our government faces many challenges. This makes it all the more difficult to make important decisions about pensions or the climate. Research and good education can help meet the challenges…

Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) has been in existence for almost six years and will be entering its second phase in 2019. What course will the alliance take, what opportunities are out there and what is its mission? LDE Magazine spoke with Carel Stolker, rector magnificus of Leiden University and a member…

State secretary Mona Keijzer received the National Agenda on Quantum Technology from Robbert Dijkgraaf on 16 September. With this agenda, Dutch knowledge institutes and high-tech companies identify what is needed to maintain and strengthen the Dutch pioneering role in this area. Researchers from Leiden…

What does the UN seek to achieve though global observance days, weeks and years and how have these initiatives impacted the role of the organization in forwarding the agenda of human rights?

Labour migration is an important theme in the Dutch general election to be held this month. Olaf van Vliet, Professor of Economics, spoke to public broadcaster NOS about policy options related to migrant workers.

Joop van Holsteyn, Professor in Political Behaviour and Research Methods (Leiden University Institute of Political Science), joins the Dutch Electoral Council.

Leiden Law Cast is a podcast made by Leiden Law School, Leiden University, for everyone who wants to learn more about current legal issues.

Japanese animated films are often fantastic to watch. What's less known is that anime often has a political message. Mari Nakamura researched this phenomenon. PhD defence 14 March.

Leiden Law Cast is a podcast made by Leiden Law School, Leiden University, for everyone who wants to learn more about current legal issues.

Virtual Reality komt steeds dichter binnen handbereik van docenten en studenten. Hoe zou Virtual Reality kunnen bijdragen aan de leerervaringen van uw studenten? Vrijdag 19 februari, kwam een groep van ruim twintig docenten en experts af op een bijeenkomst over deze vraag in Studiecentrum Plexus. Met…

The student loan system, implemented in 2015 in part to improve the quality of Dutch education, is facing political backlash. Despite having signed the student loan system agreement in 2015, both GroenLinks and PvdA have had a change of heart.

What is life like as an academic? Twelve PhD candidates will report on their daily work in videos and blogs on the Faces of Science website (in Dutch). They include three researchers from Leiden who are researching topics such as North Korean support for African liberation movements, how differently…

On Wednesday 27 September a new book by Prof. Luuk van Middelaar will appear, entitled The new politics of Europe. Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s first vice-president, presents the book that evening during a symposium around the same theme.

Hans-Martien ten Napel recently published a volume with Routledge, Culture, Secularization, and Democracy; Lessons from Alexis de Tocqueville, co-edited with Prof. Sophie van Bijsterveld (Radboud University Nijmegen).

Generative AI presents journalists with new options for image use but also raises ethical questions.

A ‘new governance culture’ – a hot topic for a number of years now. What kind of culture of public administration do we have in the Netherlands and how do you change it? This question is the focus of the podcast Het Spel & De Macht (the Game & the Power). Each episode considers one theme related to…

On this page you will find an overview of awards and prizes granted to our staff and students in 2025, as well as special appointments at Leiden University and other institutions.

This subproject offers a political and transnational perspective on the development and uses of public memories of the Revolt in the seventeenth century.

The main aim of this project is to reveal and unravel the invisible histories of the UN, transcending the dominant Western perspective to recover the historical agency of Global South actors. The research will investigate how the UN has both facilitated and limited their role in shaping global order…

Overview of granting opportunities in the wider digital humanities community. Follow links for the most up-to-date details on deadline dates/times and conditions for applying.

Students from no fewer than 26 different countries are visiting Leiden from 25-28 February to discuss the refugee crisis and European integration.

From 23 to 26 November, FGGA will once again be organising the online Well-Being Days. Four days of great articles, handy tips and (online) activities. Especially for students, but also very interesting for employees. For example, read about the benefits of walking and get the best walking routes through…

The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) has launched its first own scientific journal. The Journal of Security and Global Affairs (SGA) will focus on a wide array of security topics and issues, providing a platform for the analysis of key issues within security and global affairs. The first…

Ecologist Koos Biesmeijer has been appointed professor Natural Capital at Leiden University per 1 March 2017. His chair will be situated at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), which is part of the Faculty of Science. Through this collaboration, Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Leiden University…

Prof. dr. Judi Mesman has been appointed professor of the interdisciplinary study of societal challenges, representing a shared chair between the Faculties Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) and Social and Behavioral Sciences (FSW) at Leiden University.

Research has shown that terrorist attacks in the US are more often committed by right-wing extremists than by islamitic extremists. However, news about attacks by right-wing extremists hardly ever reach the media. Jelle van Buuren tells the Dutch newspaper Trouw that right-wing extremists are at least…

The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) is pleased to invite you to the ISGA Conference ‘Who determines the security (research) agenda’ on 9 - 10 November 2016 in The Hague, the Netherlands.

PhD candidate Lilo Nein investigates relations between texts and performances from the perspective of visual art.

In January 2014, the research project The Promise of Organization hosted a fruitful three-day conference: