Sarah Giest, Ph.D.

s.n.giest@fgga.leidenuniv.nl


Assistant Professor

Leiden University

Year of PhD: 2014

Country: Netherlands

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About Me:

I am an Assistant Professor at the Public Administration Institute of Leiden University conducting research on comparative public policy, focusing specifically on environmental and innovation policy design in the urban context. My research and teaching activity evolves around the topic of digital governance and the innovation and environmental policy field. I have developed a special interest in the urban dimension and the challenges encountered by local governments to deal with the intersection of delivering high quality public service, spurring economic activity and utilizing new technology for innovation and sustainability (a list of publications can be found here).I am on the Editorial Board of 'Policy Design and Practice' and ‘Data and Policy’. I am a member of the Young Academy Leiden (YAL), a group of young scholars at Leiden University that work together on three themes: interdisciplinarity, outreach and science and education policy. Since the Summer of 2019, I am an elected member of the International Public Policy Association (IPPA) College.I earned my PhD (with distinction) in Political Science at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) under the supervision of Prof. Michael Howlett on the topic of (local) government initiatives for innovation clusters. I also hold two Master degrees, one from Bonn University (Germany) in Political Science and one in Society, Science and Technology Studies from Aalborg (Denmark) and Lund University (Sweden). 

Research Interests

Public Policy

Energy And Climate Policy

Urban Politics

Digital Governance

Big Data

Countries of Interest

Netherlands

United Kingdom

United States

Singapore

My Research:

I am currently working on several projects connected to big data use by policymakers with the goal of unpacking the way data information impacts policy in the urban context. For example:                      *Data-driven, urban policy-making for social inclusion of young, vulnerable people* - The central aim of this project is to create an inclusive school setting with and for adolescents with autism during their unstructured leisure time at school by looking at innovative data sources to identify and overcome obstacles in the school setting. This includes contextual factors, such as national and local policy, building architecture and the school environment as well as group behaviour and individual indicators.                                                                                                                *Digitizing decentralized policy* - The project focuses on the question What is the impact of the Dutch Digital Omgevingsloket on decentralized implementation? In particular, in relation to issues of discretion and accountability.The ambition to establish rules and routines in a standardized software for data collection and distribution seems to run counter to the emphasis on ‘decentralized discretionary power’ for the implementation at local level. In this context, the project addresses the conflicting aspects arising for bureaucrats working with the digital tools while implementing the Omgevingswet. The project is carried out together with the Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).