Christopher Ansell
Professor Ansell received his B.A. in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia in 1979 and worked at the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment from 1979 through 1984. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 1993.
His fields of interest include public policy, public administration, governance, and organization theory, with a geographical focus on Europe. His current research focuses on collaborative modes of governance with a focus on collective problem-solving, democracy and sustainability. He also studies the politics and management of risk and has an ongoing interest in public health, environmental policy and crisis management. His work is inspired by the philosophy of Pragmatism.
Ansell has been a visiting professor at Uppsala University, the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, and the University of Hong Kong and has received an honorary doctorate in public administration from Roskilde University in Denmark. He has been a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration since 2018.
Click on the titles for more information
The Protective State (Cambridge University Press 2019).
How does Collaborative Governance Scale? (Ed., with Jacob Torfing; Policy Press 2018).
Governance in Turbulent Times (Ed. with Jarle Trondal and Morten Øgård; Oxford. 2017).
Handbook on Theories of Governance (Ed.with Jacob Torfing; Edward Elgar. 2016; second edition 2022).
Public Innovation Through Collaboration and Design (Ed. with Jacob Torfing; Routledge 2014)
Pragmatist Democracy: Evolutionary Learning as Public Philosophy (Oxford 2011)
What's the Beef? The Contested Governance of European Food Safety (Ed. with David Vogel; MIT 2006)
Recent articles. Click here for a complete list.
"The construction of the EU as a strategic entrepreneur: the internal-external-internal nexus" (with Sevie Chatzopoulou), Journal of European Integration, 1-18 (2022).
“Getting a Grip on the Performance of Collaborations: Examining Collaborative Performance Regimes and Collaborative Performance Summits” (with Scott Douglas), Public Administration Review, 81 (5), 951-961 (2021).
“Towards a Concept of Political Robustness” (with Eva Sørensen) Political Studies, (2021).
“Coping with Conceptual Pluralism: Reflections on Concept Formation,” Public Performance and Management Review, 44 (5), 1118-1139 (2021).
“The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Game Changer for Public Administration and Leadership? The Need for Robust Governance Responses to Turbulent Problems” (with Eva Sørensen and Jacob Torfing), Public Management Review, 23 (7), 949-960 (2021).
“The Loss of Capacity in Public Organizations: A Public Administration Challenge” (with Louise Comfort, Ann Keller, Todd LaPorte & Paul Schulman). Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 4(1), 24-29. (2021).
“Countering Fragmentation, Taking Back the State, or Partisan Agenda‐setting? Explaining Policy Integration and Administrative Coordination Reforms” (with Philipp Trein), Governance. 34 (4), 1143-1166 (2021).
“Understanding Inclusion in Collaborative Governance: a Mixed Methods Approach” (with Carey Doberstein, Hayley Henderson, Saba Siddiki & Paul ‘t Hart), Policy and Society, 1-22. (2020). Best article award in Policy and Society 2020.
“Can the Power of Platforms be Harnessed for Governance?” (with Satoshi Miura), Public Administration, 98 (1), 261-276 (2020).
Fall 2024: PS 375: Pedagogy
/sites/default/files/people/u3635/Pedagogy%20Sylllabus-Fall%202024-Ansell.pdf
Fall 2024: PS 181: Public Organization & Administration
/sites/default/files/people/u3635/PS181%20Syllabus%20Fall%202024.pdf