Menu
Log in
Log in


  • Home
  • Guardians of Public Value: How Public Organizations Survive and Thrive

Guardians of Public Value: How Public Organizations Survive and Thrive

  • 29 Mar 2021
  • 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Webinar

Guardians of Public Value: How Public Organizations Survive and Thrive

Online Symposium 29 March 15.30 - 17.00 CET / 9.30 – 11.00 EST / 6.30 – 8.00 PT

Public organizations are faced with turbulent times. They need to meet high expectations from political masters, public funders and the  publics they serve. Their performance is monitored relentlessly by media and parliament. The symposium will consider how public organizations may navigate change, criticism and controversy without sacrificing their core values and institutional identity. It will address questions such as:

  • When and how do public organizations become valued public institutions in their society, and why does that matter?
  • How can public organizations guard societal values when facing external headwinds?
  • How can organizational leaders instill and preserve cultures of dedicated and adaptive professional excellence?


This event builds on the recent book Guardians of Public Value: How Public Organizations Become and Remain Institutions which contains 12 case studies of public organizations world wide that have risen to these challenges (free to download at: https://bit.ly/3rbdWZ6).

After a stage-setting plenary opening, selected case studies will be presented in in breakout sessions:

  • Dr Bert Koopman —Journalist and business history scholar on The Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra: Guardian of Symphonic Music
  • Dr Charles Parker — associate professor of political science, Uppsala University The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Guardian of Climate Science.
  • Dr Liesbet Heyse — Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Groningen on Me´decins Sans Frontie`res: Guardian of Humanitarian Values
  • Dr Margo van den Brink — Assistant professor of spatial planning, University of Groningen on Rijkswaterstaat: Guardian of the Dutch Delta
  • Dr Susan Ostermann — Assistant professor of global affairs, University of Notre Dame on The Election Commission of India: Guardian of Democracy

In the second part of the symposium, two experienced public  sector CEOs will reflect on their experiences of stewardship of public institutions in turbulent times and take part in a Q&A:

  • Sylvo Thijsen — CEO of the Dutch National Forest Service and the 2019 Public Manager of the Year in the Netherlands
  • Alan Latourelle — CEO of Parks Canada (2002-15) and member of the Order of Canada

The seminar is convened and facilitated by the book’s editors, Professor Arjen Boin (Leiden University), Lauren Fahy, MPA and Professor Paul ‘t Hart (Utrecht School of Governance).


Register Here

Copyright 2017 - Public Health Physicians of Canada  /  Médecins de santé publique du Canada

Site by Merge Creative Inc.

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software