Title: Governing Polarized Societies

Speakers: Kutsal Yesilkagit, Professor of Public Administration, Leiden University

Date: 12 December 2023- Tuesday

Time: 17:00-18:00

Place: CASE 127

Abstract: Having encountered a series of shocks that pose an existential threat to our livelihoods, our societies have become increasingly polarized. Shortly after two years of lockdowns due to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine boosted at a global scale a polycrisis that intersects energy shortages, refugees, increases social inequalities, and security concerns. Climate change is making itself heard much more loudly in various parts of the world through a combination of flooding, extreme heat, and drought. And all this happens in a time where liberal democracies are challenged by emerging populism and authoritarianism that undermines societal stability and the rule of law. In his lecture, Kutsal Yesilkagit will discuss the consequences of these developments for the prospect of liberal democracies, the difficulties of making long-term policies in fragmented systems, and on the role of the state and its public administration.

Bio: Kutsal Yesilkagit is Professor of Public Administration at Leiden University. His research interests focus on the relationship between politics and bureaucracy. He has written and taught widely on topics related to this theme, such as public sector reforms, the politics of institutional design, transgovernmental networks, regulatory governance, and recently on populism, democratic backsliding and public administration. His work appeared in journals such as Journal of Public Administration & Theory, Public Administration Review, Governance, and the European Journal of Public Policy. He has served as head of department and as dean of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs. He is currently member of the State Commission on the Rule of Law, which is tasked with offering advice to the Dutch Government by mid 2024 on the state of the rule of law in the Netherlands.