Welcome to the homepage of the Chair of Political Science, Public Administration and Organization

The doctoral thesis “Digitalising Public Administration: The Balancing Act of Reform Governance” was supervised and assessed by Prof. Sabine Kuhlmann and Dr Isabella Proeller, Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management.

The doctoral thesis “Futures of work: How public servants experience the digital transformation in street-level bureaucracies” was supervised and examined by Prof. Sabine Kuhlmann and Prof. Dr Tanja Klenk (Chair of Public Administration, Helmut Schmidt University).

On 22 June 2026, Liz Wehmeier delivered the keynote speech ‘Between Promise and Practice: How Digitalisation in Public Administration is Being Implemented in Day-to-Day Work’ at the conference organised by the Main Staff Council (HPR) of the State of Berlin, entitled ‘Work in Transition – Brave New World?’.

Her presentation focused on the latest findings regarding the digital transformation of public administration, as well as employees’ perspectives on the opportunities and challenges posed by the digitalisation of public administration.

Foto: Kay Herschelmann
 

On 23 June, Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann gave a speech to the German National Regulatory Control Council on “Less Bureaucracy through Better EU Legislation” at the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernization.


A highlight was the keynote by Federal Minister Karsten Wildberger, who shared valuable insights into Germany’s modernization agenda at both the national and federal-state levels.

We were pleased to see Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann deliver the closing session, emphasizing the crucial role of EU Member States in advancing better regulation at EU level, reducing administrative burdens and shaping less bureaucratic EU legislation.

The event also provided an excellent opportunity for exchange with European partners from the RegWatchEurope network, including colleagues from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Czechia, Moldova and Romania, and to discuss shared perspectives on better regulation and burden reduction across Europe.

 

The Chair of Politics, Administration and Organisation recently welcomed a group of students from the University of Haifa. During their visit to the University of Potsdam, we held discussions on current issues relating to administrative modernisation, governance and comparative administrative research. We would like to thank them for the stimulating exchange and are delighted to be building international networks.

In a discussion with Michael Reinhard (a former board member of an industrial company) and Thomas Kirchberg (editor-in-chief of the Main Post), the extent to which the state is capable of taking action today and the state of public trust are examined.

Topics under discussion include state modernisation, administrative reforms, the reduction of bureaucracy, digitalisation, and the reasons why many people perceive the state as inefficient in their day-to-day lives.

You can listen to the podcast on spotify.

The latest contribution, “Public Administration in Comparative Politics”, has appeared in the Handbook of Comparative Political Science. The article examines the role of public administration as a key area of focus within comparative politics and highlights key typologies, concepts and research findings in the field of comparative public administration.

We are exicted to announce the launch of our DIGILOG Dashboard. The Dashboard comprises both the DIGILOG Index – a new benchmark for the comparative analysis of digitalisation in local governments across Europe, based on survey data from three waves of data collection (2024–2026) – and a web-scraping analysis of over 4,000 local government websites from 46 countries. The result is a robust, comparative data set on digital transformation – including internal administrative digitalisation and citizen-oriented digital services – at the local level of government, enabling comparisons across countries and over time.

As part of the SGVW trinational conference 2026, Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann, Justine Marienfeldt and the DIGILOG consortium team presented key findings from the research project on the digital transformation of local government in Europe. Prof. Kuhlmann’s keynote speech focussed on the dynamics and effects of digital services for citizens and digital internal processes across different countries. At the same time, the DIGILOG Index and the accompanying interactive dashboard were presented. By bringing together survey and web-scraping data from 46 European countries, it enables a comparative analysis of digital transformation at the local government level.
The conference provided an excellent platform for exchange between academia and practitioners – particularly with high-level decision-makers. A particular highlight was the opening speech by the Swiss Federal Chancellor.
A big thank you goes to the organising team led by Reto Steiner and Jana Machljankin for a conference that was outstanding in both content and organisation.

At the Handelsblatt GovTech Summit 2026, Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann discussed effective bureaucracy reduction and government modernisation. The focus was on binding targets with monitoring, digitally compatible legislation and interdepartmental control. Conclusion: Sustainable modernisation requires a structural approach that combines legislation, enforcement and digitalisation.

How is artificial intelligence changing administrative practices? What opportunities does digital transformation offer – and how can we ensure the trust and legitimacy of state institutions?

 

The SGVW Dreiländertagung 2026 brings together representatives from academia, politics and administration to discuss these questions. At the same time, the conference marks the ceremonial conclusion of the trinational research project DIGILOG on the digitisation of European municipalities.

 

Date: Friday, 27 March 2026, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (followed by drinks reception)

Location: Bernerhof, Bundesgasse 3, 3011 Bern

 

 

EGPA has announced the Booster Grant as a new funding opportunity. The EGPA Grant is particularly meant to be used as seed money for establishing/founding/institutionalizing new groups and activities.

In the newly published handbook Kommunale Sozialpolitik (Local Social Policy), Sabine Kuhlmann and Benoît Paul Dumas have published a chapter entitled ‘The local welfare state: local government task models and reforms in European comparison’. The article analyses local government capacity for action in a European comparison based on functional task profiles. It highlights differences in the degree of local government autonomy over common goods, as well as changes resulting from reform discourses and administrative cultural path dependencies.

EGPA has published a new funding opportunity the Travel Grant for Early Career Researchers. The grant aims to foster inclusion, mobility, and academic development across the EGPA community.

Dr Dmytro Panchuk has been appointed as the new Executive Secretary of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA). He will assume his responsibilities from 1 March 2026, at a moment of ongoing organisational reform and strategic development within the association.

 The University of Potsdam has published an interview with Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann, President of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA).
In the interview, she discusses the role of the EGPA, her priorities as President, and key challenges for public administrations and administrative research, including digitalisation, artificial intelligence and crisis governance.

In its final report, the Commission on Welfare State Reform presented recommendations for simplifying and modernising the welfare state. The plans include reducing bureaucracy, simplifying procedures and increasing the digitisation of administrative processes. From the perspective of the National Regulatory Control Council, Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann emphasises that it is crucial to bundle tasks in order to effectively reduce bureaucracy and relieve the burden on the administration.

 

 

Mayor Noosha Aubel welcomed the newly appointed members of the Digitalisation Council of the state capital Potsdam. The council supports the digital transformation of the city administration and advises on strategic issues relating to administrative modernisation and smart city development.

EGPA startet ins neue Jahr mit einem klaren Blick auf die Herausforderungen und Perspektiven der Europäischen Verwaltungswissenschaft. In ihrer Neujahrsbotschaft blickt Präsidentin Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann auf die EGPA-Konferenz 2025 in Glasgow zurück und richtet den Fokus auf die EGPA 2026 in Rom sowie neue Fördermöglichkeiten.

On 28 January 2026, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Geert Bouckeart will give a guest lecture on the topic of ‘Futures for the Public Sector’.

University of Potsdam, Griebnitzsee Campus Room S19

On 4 March 2026, Sabine Kuhlmann (EGPA President, Professor at the University of Potsdam) will speak at the ISCTE conference on the opportunities, challenges and limitations of digitalisation in public administration. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at ISCTE (Edifício 2, Auditório B2.03) and online.

As part of the guest lecture series ‘Control Processes and Structures’ at TU Dortmund University, Justine Marienfeldt explains scenarios for enabling, restricting and continuing administrative practices in service and regulatory administration. The lecture highlights how street-level bureaucracies are developing into screen- and system-level bureaucracies, how decisions are shifting from case-by-case processing to the design of IT systems, and how power is shifting within the administration.

 

The results of Justine Marienfeldt's doctoral thesis show that information richness, workflow automation and opportunities to influence the introduction of digital tools are crucial for digitalisation to be perceived as meaningful. Algorithmic decision-making (ADM), on the other hand, does not seem to sufficiently support the work of employees or the needs of citizens.

 

These findings contribute to current debates about the desirable role of AI in public administration.

The funding is aimed in particular at doctoral students and early-career researchers who are actively participating in the conference.
The 2026 EGPA Annual Conference will take place from 24 to 27 August 2026 at the Sapienza Università di Roma. The call for travel grants will be published in early 2026. Further information can be found in the official EGPA announcement.

The European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) has announced in a recently published communication the adoption of its budget for 2026. This important decision marks the next step in the implementation of the organisation's renewal agenda. The approved budget provides the financial basis for forward-looking activities, strategic initiatives and the furtherexpansion of the scientific community.

Springer VS has published the anthology ‘Public Administration in Germany’ edited by Sabine Kuhlmann, Isabella Proeller, Dieter Schimanke and Jan Ziekow.
The book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the German administrative system – from its institutional foundations and federal structure to key control and reform issues. Particular attention is paid to current challenges such as digitalisation, administrative modernisation and better regulation.

 

As part of the MiDi project, our team welcomed representatives from immigration authorities in Brandenburg to the Griebnitzsee campus on 1 December for an intensive and constructive exchange of experiences on the digitisation of migration administration. The open discussions on challenges and practical needs provide important impetus for our research and for the further development of digital administrative processes.

The NKR phrases 12 central goals for less bureaucracy and 77 specific suggestions in order to make legislation and administration easier and more digital.  In Focus is better quality of legislation, binding praxis- and digitalchecks, relief of citizens, ewconomy and administration as well as a stronger bundling of state tasks. With this paper the NKR sets an important impulse for a broad modernization of state and administration.

On 21 November 2025, the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) held its Steering Committee (SC) meeting in Brussels, focusing on organizational renewal, membership development, and preparations for upcoming annual conferences, in particular the 2026 conference in Rome. Chaired by EGPA President Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann, the Committee reviewed progress since the Group’s 50th anniversary in 2025 and set priorities for the years ahead.

Building on a period of strong engagement, including more than 900 submissions, 800 participants, and 45 countries represented across 30 tracks at 2025 Conference, EGPA is entering a new phase of renewal and strategic focus.

The Mayor of the state capital Potsdam, Noosha Aubel, has reappointed Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann to the Digitalisation Council. She highlights the successful work of the previous council and the importance of interdisciplinary expertise for the digitalisation of the city administration

.The constituent meeting of the new Digitalisation Council is planned for early

2026.

The National Regulatory Control Council (NKR) is pushing for significantly stronger bundling measures at federal, state and local level as part of the Federal Modernisation Agenda. The aim is to reduce duplication of structures and significantly accelerate reforms and digitalisation.

"State modernisation does not end at departmental or state borders. If we are honest, many reforms fail not because of technology or budget, but because of a historically grown, overly complex task landscape." — Prof. Sabine Kuhlmann NKR Vice-Chair

The agenda will be adopted on 4 December.

The European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) invites proposals for new Permanent Study Groups, Ad hoc Groups and Specialized Panels for the Annual Conference in Rome (24.-27 August  2026)

As President of EGPA, @sabine Kuhlmann wants to encourage colleagues from
across Europe and beyond to contribute to this vibrant forum for exchange,
innovation, and dialogue in the field of public administration

On the occasion of the EGPA Conference 2025, the blog of the Public Administration Research Centre at the University of Glasgow has published the article "Public administration in turbulent times: A polycrisis era that offers challenges and opportunities". In this blog post Prof. Kuhlmann examines the role of European public administration in the polycrisis era and outlinesoutline the important role which the European Group for Public Administration has played in the past an will continue to play in the future. 
 

In collaboration with Deloitte, we conducted an empirical study on the administrative capacity in Germany. The study combines a representative survey of citizens and business leaders with qualitative interviews among public officials.

On October 2nd the NKR presented its annual report to Federal Minister Wildberger. The report shows that, despite some successes at the beginning of the new legislative period, enormous efforts are still needed to achieve sustainable reductions in bureaucracy. Particular focus must be placed on EU legislation.

On the occasion of the presentation of the NKR Annual Report to Federal Digital Minister Wildberger, Sabine Kuhlmann explains current trends in bureaucratic development in Germany and the NKR's recommendations to the Federal Government.

In an interview, Sabine Kuhlmann explains the German government's current modernisation agenda and places it in the broader context of the debate on bureaucracy reduction and state modernisation.

The EGPA is the most important scientific association in the field of administrative sciences in Europe and acts as a regional group of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS). With this election, the University of Potsdam assumes a prominent role in European administrative research and gains international visibility in the further development of administrative science and practice.

 

Challenges and recommendations for action in municipal immigration authorities regarding digital case processing and data exchange using the Central Register of Foreigners.

In the interview with Phoenix Prof. Kuhlmann explains the core merkmale of bureaucracy according to Max Weber and current approaches on reduction of bureaucracy

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the EGPA, a virtual special issue of IRAS Prospects for Public Administration across Europe was published (guest editors: Tobias Polzer, Frederico Ganz, Sara Melo and Sabine Kuhlmann). The SI will be available in open access during the conference and for six months thereafter.

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In his review, Dmytro Panchuk (University of Ghent) emphasises that the book is an indispensable standard work for study

and research in the field of comparative public administration. According to Panchuk, the book offers an excellent introduction to comparative public administration, thanks in part to its rigorous comparative analysis model, empirically sound descriptions of European administrative systems and reforms, and up-to-date insights into recent reform approaches, such as digitalisation, in the six countries studied.

From an enforcement perspective, the main obstacles to the approval process include excessive testing requirements and unnecessary tests (e.g. environmental impact assessments in certain areas), impractical legislation, inadequate application documentation, insufficient digitisation and an acute shortage of skilled workers. In its report, the NKR formulates specific recommendations for overcoming these problems.

Prof. Kuhlmann explains the problems of reducing bureaucracy in Germany, in particular the lack of practical applicability of the law and shortcomings in digitisation.

Authors of very good German or English dissertations in administrative, political, social, economic or legal sciences with a clear reference to current topics in German, European or international municipal work can apply until 30 August 2025. Prof. Kuhlmann is a member of the jury.

Among other things, the workshop discussed how municipal immigration authorities can be relieved and how the immigration of skilled workers can be made sustainable through digitalization and optimized processes

Prof. Kuhlmann was a guest researcher at Waseda University Tokyo from 28.03.2025 to 05.04. 2025 and gave a guest lecture on 04.04. On 08.04. 2025 she gave a special lecture at Meiji Uni Tokyo.

Bundling represents a central reform lever in the fragmented administrative federal system. New approaches to state modernization could be based on this approach. 

Thr newest article presents results of the DIGILOG Project. It is examined in how far local governments strategies for digitalization differ and how that can be explained. The analysis shows that the content of the strategis and the structural contextual conditions don't match and new roles such as Chief Digital Officers are inadequately integrated into existing institutional settings.

The report shows: Bureaucracy reduction is also possible without federalism reform. The NKR recommends the voluntary use of a federal platform to bundle administrative procedures more efficiently.

Digitalization in migration and integration administration fails at implementation. It requires suitable laws, interoperable IT, and focused support for staff and infrastructure.

06.05.2025 Prof. Kuhlmann gives lecture on Comparative Public Administration at the Department of Public Governance and Management, presents the 3rd edition of the textbook and current Digilog results

The real estate industry suffers greatly from bureaucracy - partly through its own fault. Prof. Kuhlmann sees a need for reform, but also opportunities through new impetus and political initiatives.

Prof. Kuhlmann explains the lack of consistent implementation of relief measures. It is important to improve coordination mechanisms, practicality and greater commitment.

In an interview with Rheinische Post Prof. Kuhlmann talks about the prospects for reducing bureaucracy, a European understanding of the state and a ministry for digitalization and state modernization

In the podcast, Prof. Sabine Kuhlmann discusses bureaucracy reduction, the role of the NKR and digitalization as a key to reform with Faruk Tuncer.

Prof. Kuhlmann sees deficits in the reduction of bureaucracy in the EU and calls for more independence of the RSB, more active member states and more practical regulations for new EU regulations.

Under the title: “Rethinking bureaucracy reduction - ways to a leaner administration”, Prof. Kuhlmann explains strategies for reducing bureaucracy, challenges and innovative solutions.

Public administration suffers from bureaucracy, digitalization deficits and a lack of resources. A study identifies problems with administrative implementation capability and possible solutions.

The new edition includes a new chapter on administrative digitization, deals with reforms to the “Neo-Weberian State” (NWS) and contains updated country analyses and revised data.

The NKR's new position paper focuses on six key areas: Bureaucracy reduction, better legislation, EU bureaucracy reduction, more efficient administration, faster approvals and digital administration

The episode is part of a series by the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (BR) on the burden of office work in Germany. Prof. Kuhlmann classifies the challenges from a scientific perspective.

The NRCC is calling for a more ambitious government reform with measurable targets for reducing bureaucracy, as the current “one in, one out” rule is ineffective due to numerous exceptions.

Kuhlmann explains how rule-based administrative action provides legal certainty and protects against arbitrariness. This is particularly pronounced in Germany for reasons of administrative culture

The podcast “Krise.Macht.Wissen.” was produced by BA students in Niklas Peters' course and deals with the role of expertise in crisis situations. You can access the episodes here.

At the symposium “10 years of policy evaluation in the federal government - where do we stand today?”, Prof. Kuhlmann spoke on the topic of “Evaluate first” and “Evaluating the future”.

The study “Governance Capacity in Public Crisis Management: Extreme Weather and its Challenges for the Administration” analyzes the role of local administration during the 2021 flood disaster.

In Information Polity, Gräfe, Kuhlmann, Marienfeldt and Wehmeier show how digital technologies are creating invisible additional tasks, demanding new skills and changing traditional job profiles.

In the interview “Why is it so difficult to reduce bureaucracy?”, Prof. Kuhlmann discusses the factors behind Germany's excessive bureaucracy and what is needed to simplify it.

Prof. Kuhlmann presented the NKR report on social benefits administration “Ways out of the complexity trap".

The workshop entitled “Local immigration society - shaping integration and participation digitally” took place in Schwerin with Minister of State Alabali-Radovan and others.

As Deputy Chairwoman of the NKR, she monitors the Federal Government's efforts to reduce bureaucracy, examines the follow-up costs of new laws and promotes the digitization of administration.

Prof. Kuhlmann calls for a reduction in bureaucratic burdens, especially for medium-sized companies, and for declaring this a permanent task, with a stronger NKR.

Challenges and recommendations for action in municipal foreigners authorities in digital transaction processing and data exchange using the Central Register of Foreigners

Under the title “Do it online now”, Brandenburg's new state government is promoting the increased use of digital official processes. But how far is Brandenburg on the way to a digital town hall?

According to Kuhlmann and Gerls, the instruments for measuring and reducing bureaucracy have limits that require readjustment through qualitative approaches (e.g. digital check, evaluation, etc.)

With billions of euros in annual compliance costs for citizens, business and administration, the bureaucratic burden in Germany remains blatantly high, according to Prof. Kuhlmann in an interview.

The dissertation “Pioneers or laggards? Digitalization of smaller medium-sized municipalities in Germany” was supervised by Prof. Kuhlmann and funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation.

With 20 participants from Germany, Sweden and the UK, an intensive exchange on research projects in the field of local governance was realized during the workshop.

The National Regulatory Control Council presented its annual report for the first time at the Federal Press Conference and took stock of the current status of bureaucracy reduction.

Following the handover of the annual report on bureaucracy reduction, a specialist conference was held on the topic of bureaucracy reduction, at which Prof. Kuhlmann gave a presentation.

As part of the conference, Prof. Kuhlmann, Prof. Gomes, Prof. Bolívar and Prof. Troupin will organize a panel on “Next Generation Administrative Reforms: from Crisis to Resilience?”.

During the conference, 25 years of cooperation between the UP and the National Academy of Governance were also honored and a memorandum of understanding on future joint projects was signed.

The team was able to show its presence at the conference and present current research. Prof. Kuhlmann was also represented as Editor-in-Chief of the International Review of Administrative Sciences.

The participants Massey, Kuhlmann, Elliott, Rinfret, Meijer, Yu, Lotta, George discussed “Trends in Public Administration”, publication processes and interaction between research and practice

The aim of the competition is to recognize high-quality laws, ordinances, statutes and innovative legislative procedures. The prize is awarded by Federal Minister of Justice Buschmann.

Under the title: “European governments facing the polycrisis”, the article analyzes the institutional design variants of local crisis governance responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The blog post summarizes key findings from our research on the slow pace of digitalization in municipalities and the federal challenges in the DACH countries.

The book edited by Prof. Kuhlmann et al. analyzes the consequences of economic and political crises for interstate relations in Europe on the basis of various fields of action.

The paper examines the effects of digitalization and automation on administrative practice, burdens and service provision. It identifies challenges and makes recommendations for action.

The workshop was organized by the PVO Chair and KWI. Central were the paper presentations by Mr. Franzke and Mr. Brenner (Hebrew Uni Jerusalem) and Naomi Adiv (University of Toronto)

In the Grimme Award-winning format, Thilo Jung spoke with Prof. Kuhlmann about administrative science, bureaucracy and careers in science. Previous guests have included Robert Habeck and Alena Buyx.

Marienfeldt, Kuhlmann, Kühler and Proeller compare the organization of administrative digitization in the multi-level system, as well as municipal innovation priorities in the DACH region.

Under the title: “Back to Bureaucracy? The Advent of the Neo-Weberian State in Germany” the article Open Access is available.

Prof. Kuhlmann discussed the challenges of bureaucracy with moderators Zacharias Zacharakis and Jens Tönnesmann

In the KWI's 30th anniversary volume, the project team published an article on the final results of the study of crisis governance in a European comparison.

Prof Kuhlmann discussed the topic of “Reducing bureaucracy through digitalization: best practices and success stories from the field” with representatives from business and administration on the panel

At Aalborg University, she presented co-authored research on role identities in German employment services and discussed adverse effects of digitalized service delivery in street-level organizations.

Justine Marienfeldt, Liz Wehmeier and Sabine Kuhlmann compare the types of institutional change and their effects based on two major digitization projects. Read Open Access now.

Due to Prof. Kuhlmann's appointment to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, the presentation of the certificate took place in Bonn.

The chapter compares Germany, Sweden and France with regard to Administrative interdependencies in refugee integration (Sabine Kuhlmann, Franziska Oehlert and Marie Catherine Reusch)

Prof. Kuhlmann outlined the core topics of the NKR's activities and made references to the impact assessment of the EU Commission, which was documented in the recently published annual report of RSB

In addition to participating in Prof. Christopher Ansell's course, Niklas Peters was able to present his dissertation project "Expertise in Crisis".

Her research examines the behavior of politicians in relation to blame deflection. In addition, insights into the research process were provided and followed by a lively debate.

In the interview, Prof. Kuhlmann explains the need to reduce bureaucracy and discusses the activities of the NKR. A fixed bureaucracy reduction target of 25% is also discussed.

This special volume examines digitization practice in the advanced administrative areas of vehicle registration, building supervision, tax administration and parental benefits. (Nomos Publishing)

The prize awarded by the Dean of Studies for the course "Brückenbauer: Theorie und Praxis der wiss. Politikberatung im Kontext einer krisenfesten Verwaltung" is endowed with a prize of €3,000.

Prof. Kuhlmann, Deputy Chairwoman of the NKR, recommends the use of EU regulatory impact assessment instruments in Germany, such as systematic benefit analyses of regulations.

Despite ambitious programs, Germany is only making slow progress in the digitization of public administration. This special volume analyzes practice and challenges in advanced administrative areas.

In the context of the "KoCoGo" project, Prof. Kuhlmann, Prof. Franzke, Niklas Peters and Benoît Dumas are investigating crisis governance in a European comparison.

The chapter on the effects of digitalization and automation on work and employees in public administration is published in the "Handbuch Digitalisierung in Staat und Verwaltung“

"Vorreiter oder Nachzügler? Die digitale Transformation der Verwaltung in der Mittelstadt" is available in "Transformation von Mittelstädten" n.d. (ed. by Bosch Graduate School)

Prof. Kuhlmann presented the results of the DIGILOG project in the context of the conference: "A comparison of administrative digitization in Germany, Austria and Switzerland"

The issue provides insights into the nature of bureaucracy. The Federal Minister of Justice and the Federal Minister of Economics also have their say.

In der neusten Ausgabe wird Prof. Kuhlmann vom Finanzminister des Lande BaWü, Danyal Bayaz, dazu befragt, wie der Bürokratieabbau gelingen kann und warum Bürokratie auch gute Seiten hat.

In the issue "Bureaucracy madness: Is Germany abolishing itself?", Prof. Kuhlmann is asked about the comparison of German bureaucracy with other countries, among other things.

The FAZ article reports on "Ways out of the complexity trap" using the example of a single father's visits to the authorities.

Medium-sized cities are of particular relevance for the development of spatial structures in Germany. The articles show how urban research and mid-sized city practice interact for the transformation.

In the documentary, Prof. Kuhlmann, among others, is interviewed as an expert: Why is bureaucracy reduction not working? And how could it work?

In addition to the presentation of her doctoral thesis, topics of the digitalization of bureaucracy, algorithmic decision-making tools, digital exclusion and representative bureaucracy were discussed.

Prof. Kuhlmann explains the obstacles to reducing bureaucracy and what should still be done.

The article "Digital transformation going local" reached number 1 in downloads (over 4,000) in the journal Public Money and Management in 2023. It is available Open Access.

The article "Tracing divergence in crisis governance", from the Covid-19 - Special Issue has reached number 1 of the most cited articles in IRAS in 2022.

Prof. Sabine Kuhlmann gave a lecture at the symposium "Neo Weberian State" on the topic: "Back to Bureaucracy? The Advent of the Neo-Weberian State in Germany"

In December, the European Network of Independent Councils for Better Regulation met in Stockholm. Prof. Kuhlmann represented Germany at the Board Meeting.

The project website provides an overview of the research area, the methods and the results. In addition, the latest developments can be followed via the blog.

The documentary reports on the current challenges in the areas of digitalization, administration and skills shortages. Prof. Kuhlmann is interviewed about this as an expert, among other things.

The article: "Does digital government hollow out the essence of street-level bureaucracy?" was published in the journal Social Policy & Administration (Open Access)

In October 2023, the NKR discussed ideas for less bureaucratic legislation with stakeholders in Brussels and developed recommendations for the German government.

In the interview, Prof. Kuhlmann explains the problems and positive aspects of the reform. The NKR emphasizes the importance of transparent monitoring and adherence to deadlines

We congratulate Desy Hariyati Daryono, who is a doctoral candidate at the Chair, on her election as doctoral candidate representative. We wish her every success and good luck in tackling new challenge

Bureaucracy reduction in practice: The National Regulatory Control Council as a driving force for better regulation, procedural acceleration and digital-friendly law

The Federal and State Regulatory Control Councils and Clearing Houses will work together with the Federal Statistical Office in future to identify proposals for speeding up procedures.

National Regulatory Control Council with Prof. Sabine Kuhlmann hands over annual report to Minister of Justice

The National Regulatory Control Council (NKR) presented its 2023 annual report to Federal Minister of Justice Dr. Marco Buschmann on 20 November

Prof. Kuhlmann wrote a chapter on the topic: "From Weberian bureaucracy to the digital state? Trajectories of administrative reform in Germany"

Main topic of the panel discussion: "State modernization & bureaucracy reduction: How digital innovations are changing cooperation between the state and companies" (from min. 28:00)

This article explains some of the mechanisms for reducing bureaucracy at European level and presents new ideas for a better approach by the EU Commission.

The NKR has long been able to measure increased compliance costs and higher bureaucracy costs. However, Prof. Kuhlmann also points out measures such as the one-in-one-out principle. (from min. 19:10)

In the interview, Prof. Kuhlmann discusses the increase in compliance costs by +60% and its causes. (From min. 7:11)

Prof. Kuhlmann emphasizes that the NKR's position papers must be given more influence. It depends on the body's ability to assert itself in ministries in order to manage the reduction of bureaucracy.

Prof. Kuhlmann presented a paper on "Institutional Designs of Crisis Governance." She was accompanied by Jakob Kühler and Liz Wehmeier, who presented excerpts from their dissertations.

Process digitization can speed up planning and approval procedures. Prof. Kuhlmann presented the NKR position paper on accelerating planning and approval procedures

Reducing bureaucracy is still a challenge for the German government. Sabine Kuhlmann identifies bureaucracy drivers in Germany and suggests setting targets for bureaucratic relief.

At a joint workshop, Prof. Kuhlmann addressed migration management in Germany and emphasized the role of the local administrative level for coordinated crisis management

You will learn the ins-and-outs of Campus Griebnitzsee, where of most of your classes will take place, and the structure of your degree program from a 4th semester MANIA student.

The chair was again represented at the EGPA conference. Under the heading "Steering European Union through poly-crises storms" transformation processes in public administration were discussed.

What does case-by-case justice mean and why is administrative culture important for the modernization of administration in Germany? Prof. Kuhlmann explains this in an interview with Werner Schlierike

The Federal Cabinet has approved the key points on the Digital Check presented by the BMI. This strengthens the binding nature of the procedure and helps the NRCC in its role as an auditing body.

In the rbb podcast "Die Profis" Prof. Kuhlmann discusses the current challenges associated with bureaucratization in Germany and explains options for reform.

In an interview, Sabine Kuhlmann points out causes and possible ways out of the bureaucratic overload in Germany.

On June 22, Prof. Kuhlmann joined a panel for the 50th anniversary of the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district, alongside Prof. Dr. Voßkuhle. District Administrator Dorothea Störr-Ritter moderated.

In an interview with SR3, Prof. Kuhlmann explained why the legalistic administrative culture in Germany is a source of bureaucracy and what levers there are for reducing bureaucracy.

Sabine Kuhlmann's chair celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Bureaucracy, federalism and data protection - the docu " Stillstand und Regelwut - verspielt Deutschland die Zukunft?" shows where Germany is slowing itself down and where there is a need for action.

Recap is a dialogue format and is provided by MDR Aktuell. It summarises social debates and offers space for discourse. S. Kuhlmann speaks in minute: 4:55, 8:55 and 9:58

Sabine Kuhlmann and Justine Marienfeldt met with the research consortium to present the first results of the sub-projects (webcrawling, survey, case studies) and the PhD projects.

The volume published in the Sigma series (co-authors include Kuhlmann, Oehlert, Reusch) examines administration and coordination in the multi-level system after the refugee crisis in 2015/16.

The DAAD Prize, which was awarded to Tomás Agustín Vellani on 29 June 2023, honours international students for outstanding achievements in their studies at the University of Potsdam.

At the conference of the Int. Research Society for Public Management, Justine Marienfeldt, Liz Wehmeier, Sabine Kuhlmann presented findings on the digitalization of German regulatory administration.

The study "Crisis Governance in a Multilevel System: German PA Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic" examines how the German multi-level administration dealt with the pandemic.

The study by Kuhlmann/Franzke/Dumas/Heuberger deals with the German pandemic management and can now be ordered directly via the webshop of the University Publishing House of the University of Potsdam.

For the next three years Sabine Kuhlmann will support the SPSR as Editorial Board Member. The SPSR is a double blind peer reviewed journal in the field of political science Impact Factor: 1.578

The BMBF-funded project investigates multilevel crisis governance in the corona pandemic in five European countries. Special focus is on the so far neglected role of municipalities.

The researchers Justine Marienfeldt and Jakob Kühler participated in appointments around the topic of digitization and conducted interviews. The data will be used for the DIGILOG project.

The authors identify weaknesses in German pandemic management and thus provide a contribution to the evaluation of intergovernmental crisis management

Besides presenting research projects of the chair, students from Potsdam and Haifa joined round tables discussions. The exchange makes a vital contribution to internationalization at UP.

The report titled “Reducing bureaucracy at historical turning point” calls for a new start in reducing bureaucracy and digitalizing administration.

The authors compare local governance systems and reforms in Europe and argue that Digital Era Governance (after NPM) represents another int. mega-trend in administrative reform.

Prof. Kuhlmann talks about the German regulatory and administrative culture and its effects on current relief legislation and ventures an outlook into the future of lawmaking in Germany.

The 300 participants from trade unions, practice and science discussed current developments in the public service. Prof. Kuhlmann was part of the panel discussion in the plenum.

Among others, Prof. Kuhlmann, Prof. Proeller from UP, Prof. Steiner from ZHAW Zurich and the former mayor of Berlin Müller discussed the state of digitalization in Germany and Switzerland.

"The art is to perpetuate ideas and solution approaches outside the crisis and to actually put them into practice" Prof Kuhlmann summed up on the influence of science on politics.

Prof. Kuhlmann speaks on "Digitization of Public Administrations." Prof. Proeller moderates the discussion with guests from politics/administration. More info here and registration is available here.

In her contribution to the Handbook, published by Edward Elgar, she examines the influence of political-administrative actors on the design of administrative reforms.

As NKR-member, Prof. Kuhlmann took part in the first joint meeting of the National Regulatory Control Councils. A joint statement makes five demands for better regulation and bureaucracy reduction.

Prof. Kuhlmann talks about her work in the National Regulatory Control Council and explains how she deals with the challenges of scientific policy advice.

In addition to Prof Kuhlmann, all PhD students of the chair participated and presented research results on topics such as administrative digitilization, migration management and climate governance.

The book analyzes the capacity of local governments in European countries (France, Italy, UK, Sweden, Hungary, Poland) and compares competencies, autonomy, reform trends and financing.

The article is part of the International Review of Administrative Science Special Issue on a cross-country comparison of Covid Governance ed. by Kuhlmann, Bouckaert, Galli, Reiter and Van Hecke 2021.

Kuhlmann explains administrative challenges of the Berlin-Brandenburg area in climate protection. It is part of an int. comp. study by Kuhlmann/Schuppert on climate strategies in metropolitan areas.

At the conference organized by Fraunhofer IOSB-INA and IAO, Mr. Vellani spoke about "Successful organizational governance for digital transformation: lessons from three medium-sized cities".

Moritz assisted research & teaching since 2017. After completing his PhD, he is moving to Interior Ministry to advance digital administration. We wish him all the best personally and professionally.

The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the DFG with €1.1 million and will run until 2025. Prof. Kuhlmann and Justine Marienfeldt are responsible at the Chair.

Prof. Kuhlmann gives the key note on "Germany's Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Crisis Governance in the Multilevel System" at the conference. Listen to her presentation here (from min. 30)

The members appointed to the city of Potsdam's Digitization Council met for their first meeting with mayor Mike Schubert on April 8. The council will advise the city on its digital strategy.

Ms. Kuhlmann will once again serve as member of the National Regulatory Control Council (NKR) for another 5 years, advising federal government on better regulation and effective bureaucracy reduction.

The podcast, which is a project of the Institute for Urban Development and Housing with Christine Grüger and Fee Thissen, focuses in the 10th episode on how the administration should change.

Prof. Kuhlmann participated as a panelist at a conference of the Zentrum für Digitalisierung des Steuerrechts at LMU. You can view the program by clicking here.

Topic of episode is „Die digitale Stadt – Wie sich die Verwaltung transformiert“. In her contribution, Sabine Kuhlmann criticizes the lack of standards in administrative digitalization. From Min. 15

In a panel on the modern state, Sabine Kuhlmann, in her capacity as acting chair of the NKR, discusses with Dr. Gerd Landsberg (chief executive of the DStGB) and Ulrich Silberbach (dbb), among others.

In the article published on Oct. 25, the professor explains the reasons for the excessive pressures that Berlin's administration faces.

The project looks at the transformations in the public administration as a result of digitalization and automation and analyzes the effects on employees and administrative processes.

The interview introduces the Bosch Stiftung-funded graduate college "Mittelstadt als Mitmachstadt". Mr. Vellani is working on the digital transformation of medium-sized cities.

In the viewpoint article, the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Public Sector, on which Sabine Kuhlmann serves, takes a position on federal administrative management in the COVID-19 crisis.

This study aims to explore under which institutional and organizational conditions the national e-government reform efforts of EU member states lead to very high availability of e-services.

In the interview Ms. Kuhlmann expresses doubts about the timetable for implementing the Online Access Act and argues in favor of the creation of an agile digitization agency based on the Danish model.

On July 13, the Ombudsman Dr. Herzberg invited to a symposium on occasion of the anniversary. Ms. Kuhlmann emphasized importance of ombudsperson as intermediary between administration and citizens.

If you are interested in having your thesis supervised by a member of the chair, you can register now by filling out a form on the homepage (including a thesis proposal).

The topic of the event was "planning for future - shaping transformation". It took place on June 4/5 and was organized by the BMI and the Deutschen Akademie für Städtebau und Landesplanung e.V.

The PhD students of the interdisciplinary college „Mittelstadt als Mitmachstadt“ met for another retreat in Aachen. For further information, go to the project’s website.

Sabine Kuhlmann spoke about "Strengthening Public Governance of Local Government: Lessons from the Covid-19-Crisis". Well-known experts, such as Past President of IIAS, Pan Suk Kim, participated.

Prof. Kuhlmann and colleagues conducted an empirical study on the role of data as basis for scientific policy consulting using the example of the COVID-19 crisis and presented an expert opinion.

The journal, where Sabine Kuhlmann is Deputy Editor, achieved its highest ever impact factor of 3.094 and is now ranked 18 out of 47 in the Public Administration category.

Out of nearly 40 applications, 9 staff council committees were nominated for the prize, which is awarded by the Bund-Verlag. The awards ceremony takes place on Nov. 3 in Berlin at Schöneberger Forum.

Topics of the panel, where Lindner and NRW digital minister Pinkwarth participated, were state and administrative reform and necessary acceleration in digital transformation.

In the article, the authors address the reasons for the poor implementation of administrative digitalization at the municipal level in Germany and focus in particular on employees and citizens.

In the interview, Sabine Kuhlmann talks about deficits in the digitalization of German administrations, excessive bureaucracy in the pandemic, and lacking but necessary administrative pragmatism.

In the episode from May 19 on the topic of Germany’s digital deficiencies, Sabine Kuhlmann talks about the hurdles in cutting red tape, slow digitalization and why she remains confident nonetheless.

In a ZDFheute article published May 5, Prof. Kuhlmann emphasizes the urgent need to reduce bureaucracy in application and approval procedures so that investments in schools are approved more quickly.

On April 28, Sabine Kuhlmann participated in a panel discussion where she discussed with experts the preliminary lessons learned from the response of public institutions to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On 9.4. Sabine Kuhlmann gave an interview regarding the role of bureaucracy and the reduction of bureaucracy, specifically using the example of planning and approval procedures.

In the graduate college, which is funded by the Bosch Foundation, scientists conduct research on transformations in medium-sized cities. Tomás Vellani's project focuses on digital transformation.

The IRAS article (Kuhlmann/Bouckaert/Galli/Reiter/Van Hecke) examines the COVID-19 pandemic as a window of opportunity for policy and management in a global perspective.

The article appeared "Multi-level responses to COVID-19: crisis coordination in Germany from an intergovernmental perspective" in Local Government Studies.

Members of the University of Potsdam can now download the book "The Future of Local Self-Government" (ed. Bergström, Franzke, Kuhlmann, and Wayenberg) as an eBook via the library's website.

Members of the University of Potsdam will soon be able to download the book "Local Integration of Migrants Policy" (ed. Franzke, Ruano de la Fuente) as an eBook via the library's website