Marcus Alphons Petrus "Mark" Bovens (born 6 December 1957) is a Dutch scholar of public administration. He has been professor of public administration at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

since 2000. Bovens has been a member of the

Scientific Council for Government Policy The Scientific Council for Government Policy (Dutch: Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid, WRR) is an independent think tank of the Government of the Netherlands based in The Hague, whose members include prominent social scientists, ec ...

since 2013.

Career

Bovens was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

on 6 December 1957. After attending the gymnasium he studied Dutch law, political science and philosophy at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

and the

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

where he graduated in 1983. He obtained his title of

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

under H.R. van Gunsteren at Leiden University in 1990, his thesis was titled: ''Verantwoordelijkheid en organisatie''. Beschouwingen over aansprakelijkheid, institutioneel burgerschap en ambtelijke ongehoorzaamheid." Bovens was a teacher at Leiden University from 1983 to 1989. From 1990 onwards he was lecturer. In 1997 Bovens was appointed as professor of

philosophy of law Philosophy of law is a branch of philosophy that examines the nature of law and law's relationship to other systems of norms, especially ethics and political philosophy. It asks questions like "What is law?", "What are the criteria for legal vali ...

. In 2000 he switched to become professor of

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...

. Bovens specializes in accountability issues in and of public administration,

whistleblowing A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...

, trust in government, meritocracy and education gaps in politics in society, and success of policy. He has been a member of the Dutch

since 2013. In 2014, as member of the council, he warned for growing inequality between people of low and high education levels in the Netherlands, and the possible consequences this could have for the manageability of the country.

Honours and awards

Bovens was elected a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 2008. He has been a Fellow of the American National Academy of Public Administration since 2013.

References

External links

Profile at Utrecht University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bovens, Mark 1957 births Living people Columbia Law School alumni Dutch public administration scholars Leiden University alumni Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Academic staff of Utrecht University