Resources

Publications I have written:

• Toolkit for supporting social innovation with ESIF (2015)

This book elaborates in great detail on two of the "ESIF" roles that are mentioned in the Sourcebook on RBM: those of innovator and solutions manager, and how these can collaborate. It is crucial reading for anyone who wants to use ESIF (or any other public funding) to tackle the complex challenges that the public sector faces, rather than "do more of the same" without making much progress. This book is an output of the transnational ESIF project "Meer werk maken van innovatie voor werkgelegenheid en arbeidsmarkt" (ESF project 4895 in Flanders). The annexes can be found at
http://esf-agentschap.be/nl/bijlagen-toolkit-sociale-innovatie-culture-and-creativity,
http://esf-agentschap.be/nl/bijlagen-toolkit-sociale-innovatie-public,
http://esf-agentschap.be/nl/bijlagen-toolkit-sociale-innovatie-general-innovation.

• Sourcebook on Results Based Management in ESF (2015)

The second edition of the book that was an output of the Community of Practice on Results Based Management project. It explains how funding organizations such as ESIF managing authorities (but equally organisations such as the World Bank, UN, etc.) can focus on results, for themselves, the partners they work with as well as citizens and other stakeholders.

• Guide on writing projects for ESF using the logical framework approach (2011)

A guide I wrote for project promotors on the logical framework approach (translated from Dutch). Although I am not an advocate anymore of Logframes as a "one size fits all" approach to project formulation and management, some of the methodology (especially the analysis) is still relevant.

• Sourcebook on sound planning of ESF programmes (2006)

An early guide on how to prepare ESF programmes for the 2007-2014 programming period. Most of what is in this book is now outdated and replaced by the Sourcebook on Results Based Management as well as the Toolkit for supporting social innovation with ESIF.

Publications I have contributed to:

• GUIDEBOOK TO PROCESS EVALUATION - Toyota Production System for (Public) Service Organisations (2016)
• Quality of Public Administration: A Toolbox for Practitioners (2015)
• Activate your organization (in Dutch) (2010)
• Guidebook: How ESF Managing Authorities and Intermediate Bodies Support Partnership (2008)
• Partnership Development Toolkit (2005)
• EQUAL Guide for Development Partnerships (2004)

Conference papers and articles:

• Self-Steering in Public Service: A Tale of two paradigms in Flemish journal for public management, 2016, vol. 1 (click for the Dutch original version and English translated version).
• Process tracing and congruence analysis to support theory based impact evaluation, paper for European Evaluation Society Conference, Maastricht, September 2016
• "Self-regulation by groups in 'lean thinking' versus the modern socio-technical approach: similarities and differences", paper for Politicologenetmaal 2016, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 2-3 juni 2016.
• "Improving the quality of public service and reducing costs: lessons from the public youth protection agency of Amsterdam (Netherlands)", case study, 15 june 2016.
• "Strategic planning: from business as usual to systemic innovation", Strategic planning and future of Cohesion policy after 2020: International Conference of the Visegrad Group Countries, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia, 26-27 January 2016.
• "Creating a lab for social innovation with ESIF", Flemish journal for public management, 2016 (click here for Dutch version and here for English version).
• "Where did the well-being go in ESIF?" Paper for "2nd joint EU Cohesion Policy Conference: Challenges for the New Cohesion Policy 2014-2020: an Academic and Policy Debate", University of Latvia, 4-6 February 2015.
• "SMART or not: are simple management recipes useful to improve performance in a complex world? A critical reflection based on the experience of the Flemish ESF Agency". Paper for the conference on "Performance of public sector organisations: from weighing to losing weight."Politicologenetmaal Gent on 30 and 31 May 2013.
• "The Results Orientation of the Proposed General Regulation for the Next Structural Funds Period" An article in Europe Today (2012) on how the European Commission missed the opportunity to genuinely reform the Structural Funds, taking a step backwards rather than forwards.
• "Linking strategy and evaluation in the public sector". Paper for the conference "What's new and what works in the EU cohesion policy 2007-2013: discoveries and lessons for 2014-2020", 3-4 March 2011, Vilnius, Lithuania.

E-learning modules

• Introduction to RBM

An introduction into the "new" way of thinking about managing for results. Freely accessible to all. This is an output of the Community of Practice on RBM project.

Seminars and courses:

I regularly speak at various seminars. I am fully responsible for designing and delivering a few of these that are repeated once or twice a year:

• Improving public sector performance for the 21st century with EIPA in Maastricht
• Mastering Theory Based Impact Evaluation with EIPA in Maastricht
• Practical Toolbox for EU Funds Project Managers with the Berlin Academy
• New delivery methods for ESIF with EIPA in Maastricht (to be announced)

I also teach academic courses at the Antwerp Management School (on evaluation in the Master on public management) as well as the Hogeschool in The Hague (on strategic risk management).