Dear NIG colleagues/Street-level bureaucracy enthusiasts,
On May 21st , 2025,our NIG research colloquium on ‘Street-level bureaucracy of the 21st century’ organizes a methodological seminar: ‘Civil servants and client experts: qualitative methods for fruitful collaboration’.
We invited scholars Isa Bertram (Utrecht University School of Governance) and Marjolijn Heerings (Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management) to share their insights on how a researcher’s positionality can shape research findings (Isa) and how participatory methods can be used to create meaningful impact in practice.
Please find the invitation below!
If you want to attend, please register by filling out our registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-16F-0IlWhtfLWFXwdiW3830250MJKvlqb0wHKQCzHXvU0w/viewform?usp=sharing
Please do so before May 12th, so that we can arrange lunch.
Where: Utrecht University, Janskerkhof 3, room 0.21
When: 21 May 2025, 9:30-13:00 (including free vegetarian lunch)
Feel free to share this invitation with others. We would love to see you all there!
Kind regards,
Margot,
On behalf of Vivian, Yinthe, Shelena, Kim, Lieke, and Nadine
– NIG colloquium Street-level bureaucracy of the 21st century –
Methodological seminar
Civil servants and client experts: qualitative methods for fruitful collaboration
How do researchers’ own views and methods shape the outcomes of research in street-level bureaucracy? And how can street-level bureaucracy researchers contribute to improving relationships between civil servants, citizens, and other stakeholders? This seminar brings together two scholars who share their expertise on these methodological questions, drawing on their respective research projects. Isa Bertram will reflect on how a researcher’s positionality can shape research findings, while Marjolijn will share her expertise on how participatory methods can be used to create meaningful impact in practice.
Isa Bertram, assistant professor at the Utrecht University School of Governance, will reflect in her presentation on the methodologies used by researchers to study stereotypes about civil servants and their impact on the relationship between citizens and the state. She highlights the importance of a balanced approach, cautioning against framing civil servants solely as biased individuals or as insider-experts, as this framing may influence research findings. Drawing on her PhD dissertation ‘The faces of bureaucracy,’ and her broader research that links governance studies with psychological theory, Isa will discuss how such stereotypes shape the citizen-government relationship and the implications for research.
Marjolijn Heerings, assistant professor at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam, will share insights into a participatory qualitative method she developed to enhance the quality-of-care relationships between healthcare professionals and clients in long-term care. The ‘Als je het ons vraagt, dan… method’ (www.alsjehetonsvraagtdan.nl). This method is now also piloted in neighborhoods to foster collaboration between people with psychiatric problems, their neighbors, and civil servants at different care, safety, and well-being organizations. Her work emphasizes the ethical tensions and complexities faced in collaborations between clients, families, neighbors, (healthcare) professionals, and other civil servants. Drawing on her PhD dissertation ‘The good care relationship in long-term care,’ and several ZonMw and NWO funded follow-up studies, Marjolijn will discuss how participatory methods can improve quality of care in long term care, and collaboration in neighborhoods by engaging stakeholders varying from clients, family members, volunteers, neighbors, and professionals in addressing these challenges collaboratively.
Together, these presentations will explore the role of researchers, offering critical reflections on how their methodologies and positionalities may influence outcomes in (participatory) research. Each presentation will be followed by a plenary discussion, providing an opportunity to ask questions, share experiences, and engage in dialogue. We conclude the seminar with a free vegetarian network lunch, offering participants the chance to connect informally.
Where: Utrecht University, Janskerkhof 3, room 0.21
When: 21 May 2025, 9:30-13:00 (including free vegetarian lunch)
Registration: If you want to attend, please register by filling out our registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-16F-0IlWhtfLWFXwdiW3830250MJKvlqb0wHKQCzHXvU0w/viewform?usp=sharing
Please do so before May 12th, so that we can arrange lunch.
