Jacko A. van Ast

Jacko A. van Ast is an Associate Professor at the Department of Public Administration within the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He also serves as associate staff at the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS-EUR), coordinating the environmental and infrastructure specialization for the Master on Urban Development (UMD) and the pre-master year in Public Administration. His research focuses on institutional and legal aspects of international water management, particularly in multi-disciplinary teams addressing complex institutional change processes. He has specialized expertise in South African and Polish water law, Dutch-French-German water regulations, and environmental policy enforcement.

Education:

• LL.M. in Dutch Law (1986), Erasmus University Rotterdam, with triple specialization in civil law, business law, and environmental regulation.
• Masters thesis: Enforcement of Environmental Policy (from an internship at the Environmental Federation of South-Holland Province).

Teaching & Management Roles:

• Coordinator of environmental/infrastructure specialization in IHS-EUR's Urban Development Master program.
• Former responsible member for education in the Daily Management Team of the Erasmus Centre for Sustainability and Management (ESM).
• Member of IHS Academic Board and Examination Committee.
• Teaches courses on Public Law, Dutch Constitutional/Administrative Law, Environmental Science, and Water Policy across ESSB and IHS.
• Invited professor at national/international universities for master/bachelor programs.

Research Contributions: Published extensively on policy aspects of international water/flood management, environmental science, and institutional change. Collaborated with Delft University of Technology's Department of Economics of Infrastructure and participated in developing studies.

Labs/Teams: Engaged in multi-disciplinary teams at ESM, IHS, and TU Delft, focusing on sustainable development and governance challenges.