معرفی
Dr. Merlijn van Hulst is an Associate Professor and Head of Research in the department of Public Law & Governance at Tilburg Law School, Tilburg University. He leads the Global Law and Governance research program and serves on the Advisory Committee for Research (ACR) of the Law School. His academic background includes a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Erasmus University Rotterdam and prior experience as a consultant at Cap Gemini (1999–2002). He joined Tilburg University in 2008.
Van Hulst’s research focuses on governance practices in public sectors, particularly civil servants, police officers, and urban intermediaries. He specializes in interpretive methods like narrative and frame analysis, ethnography, and storytelling in organizational contexts. Key projects include the SmartUrbI study on urban intermediaries and the RAAK-funded research on civil servants in local energy transitions. He collaborates internationally, notably with Urban Europe-funded projects like CONTRA.
His teaching spans public administration, organization science, and qualitative research methods at undergraduate and graduate levels. He co-leads research training programs for PhD candidates in political science and public administration.
Van Hulst has led projects on participatory governance, police culture, and urban innovation. Notable outputs include publications in The American Review of Public Administration, Organization Studies, and Planning Theory, emphasizing dynamic policy framing, narrative sensemaking, and frontline civil service practices.
