About the NSOB
The Netherlands School of Public Administration (NSOB) is a leading institute of education and research in the heart of the Dutch administrative capital. We connect scientific knowledge about Dutch public administration with ample practical experience on the topic. With our renowned team of scientists we reflect critically on administrative practices while maintaining a strong sense of practical application. We develop educational programs and disseminate our insights from applied scientific research, thereby contributing to increasing administrative skills and public leadership.
The NSOB is registered with the Central Register Short Vocational Education (CRKBO).
Mission
The NSOB is a school and a think tank.
We are where science and practice meet. We provide education to public administration professionals and conduct applied research into current administrative practices. The NSOB always provides a place for interaction: scientific insights help to analyze and understand practice, while that practice and the work of professionals enrich and inspire our scientific knowledge.
We are simultaneously close to Dutch public administration as well as distant from it. Academic freedom and space for reflection are at our core as an independent and autonomous institute. We passionately contribute to the public sector through constructive feedback but also speak truth to power by offering strong counterpoints and uncovering inconvenient truths. We do not take a governmental perspective, but put societal challenges center stage. From that vantage point we investigate how the government can contribute to addressing these challenges. This makes us an autonomous, critical, but also helpful voice for public leaders and administrators in addressing societal challenges.