I am a public management scholar with a background in social science and philosophy. I study the art and science of social problem-solving at the intersection of public administration, organizational behavior, and urban studies. What levers can public leaders use to better diagnose and remedy social problems? Under what conditions can cross-boundary collaboration, using data and evidence, and innovation lead to better outcomes for residents in cities? What are the organizational and institutional challenges of tackling urban problems holistically? These research questions have animated my scholarly work.
Strategic Management and Leadership in Government
This stream of research investigates how public officials exercise leadership despite constraints. It explores the challenges politicians and civil servants face as they seek to solve public problems.
Cross Boundary Collaboration in Government
This stream of research investigates the barriers to collaboration across organizational and sectoral boundaries. Building on the research in public management, organizational behavior and collaborative governance, this work has sought to investigate empirically what helps and hinders joint problem-solving in practice.
Using Data and Evidence in Government
This stream of research investigates why and how (local) governments use data and evidence. It explores the different ways in which data can help diagnose problems and manage performance as well as communicate with stakeholders and the public at large. This work fills a gap at the intersection of evidence-based policy, organizational development, and city leadership.
Innovation in Government
This stream of research investigates the challenges of experimentation in the public sector. It studies the barriers to probing assumptions underlying current policies and practices and to taking risks. The work includes studies on executive leadership, organizational practices, and the conditions under which government employees are most likely to engage in the work.