Machiel van der Heijden

Machiel van der Heijden is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University’s School of Governance, affiliated with the Department of Public Administration and Organizational Science. His research focuses on interorganizational networks in the public sector, examining their formation, implications for policy outcomes, and impacts on public officials’ behavior.

He employs a network-analytical perspective to study collaborative dynamics, including partner selection, information processing, and managerial networking in domains like social care, regulatory authorities, and transnational governance. His work bridges theory on affect in networks with practical policy implications.

Recent articles investigate administrative errors in departmental restructurings, decision-making uncertainty in collaborative settings, and diffusion effects in transnational regulatory networks. He also explores accountability mechanisms and the globalization of administrative patterns through empirical studies.

His co-authored publications with scholars like J. Schalk and T. Schillemans highlight network relationships, regulatory compliance, and standard adoption processes in public management.