Masterclass "Communicating Effectively: the Role of Frames and Framing"

By Hans de Bruijn, Professor of Public Administration in the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.

The research of Hans de Bruijn focuses on governance issues at the intersection of politics, management and technology, such as decision-making about large-scale infrastructure projects, the privatization and deregulation of utilities, safety and security, river management, regulation and inspection, managing professionals and various types of government policy relating to technology.

Such issues are usually characterised by a high degree of complexity. Governance involves a network of interdependent actors who behave strategically and know how to play the game. The types of problems that arise in this context are often ambiguous in nature, and the relevant information is often contested. Unforeseen dynamics are also very common.

Hans de Bruijn has written several books on these issues, including "Management in Networks: On Multi-Actor Decision Making" (Routledge: London 2008, with Ernst ten Heuvelhof) and "Process Management: Why Project Management Fails in Complex Decision-Making Processes" (Springer: Berlin 2010, with Ernst ten Heuvelhof and Roel in 't Veld). He has also published on the management of professional organisations, including: "Managing Professionals" (Routledge: London 2010) and "Managing Performance in the Public Sector" (Routledge: London 2007, 2nd ed.).

Actors who deal with governance issues need to possess a high tolerance for complexity in order to understand these issues and come up with appropriate governance arrangements. At the same time, however, public debate in this area is less about tolerance for complexity and more about sense and simplicity. It is also essentially a game involving words, images and arguments. Hans de Bruijn is fascinated by this game and has written 'Framing. How Politicians Convince Us That They Are Right' (2017) about patterns in the game of framing and reframing.

His experience and expertise ensure that this masterclass is very valuable.