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Lars Tummers

@tummers.bsky.social

590 followers 160 following 150 posts

👨‍🎓 Professor, Utrecht University. Before: Tilburg, Erasmus, Berkeley, Oxford. ✍️ Writes about government-citizen relationships and behavior change.

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Dec 11

🚨 New paper in @bppjournal.bsky.social 🚨

We show that positive stereotypes about public sector workers can improve the bureaucratic process.

Most people bash bureaucrats, saying they are ‘lazy’ and even 'evil.' Maybe we should start approaching civil servants positively. 🧐

shorturl.at/hqdeB

Positive public sector stereotypes and their impact on public service delivery: an audit experiment

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · 14d

For more information & signing up, check out the link.

Will include top-notch work of among else
@sebjilke.bsky.social @elizabethlinos.bsky.social @henricovanroekel.bsky.social @asmusletholsen.bsky.social @mhallsworth.bsky.social @stephangrim.bsky.social.

Behavioral Sciences and Public Policy | Netherlands Institute of Governance

Behavioral Sciences and Public Policy (3EC) DateNovember 10-12, 2025Apply for this course here LocationUtrecht University Instructor(s)Prof. Dr. Lars Tummers Course fees Free for NIG members 500,- fo...

www.nigovernance.nl

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · 14d

👉 What you’ll gain:

- Learn concepts from behavioral public administration, behavioral economics, and political psychology
- Learn tools to assess effectiveness, ethics & acceptance of interventions
- Practical ways to apply in your PhD research

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · 14d

🚨 Course PhD students interested in Behavioral Science, Public Policy & Public Administration 🚨

This November (10–12), I will be teaching a PhD course on Behavioral Science & Public Policy at Utrecht University.

📚 3 ECTS | 📍 Utrecht University | 🗓 Nov 10–12

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Jul 3

A great study, Sheeling! Glad to see it out and a top journal, whose editors aren't afraid to publish non-results @bppjournal.bsky.social

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Jul 3

Congrats, Fabiola!

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Jun 27

Gefeliciteerd Ingrid! Goed dat wetenschappers als jij buiten de ivoren toren van de wetenschap stappen en in dialoog gaan met de maatschappij.

Reposted by Lars Tummers

Neo Sheeling | 梁诗琳 @neosheeling.bsky.social · Jun 12

So honored to be selected as the 2025 @aompnp.bsky.social Best Dissertation Award winner! HUGE thanks to @tummers.bsky.social & Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen, Gabriela Szydlowski, Isa Bertram, Noor de Boer & Robin Bouwman & to the amazing committee chair, @schwoererskayla.bsky.social!

AOM Public and Nonprofit Division (PNP) @aompnp.bsky.social · Jun 12

Congrats to @neosheeling.bsky.social from American University, winner of the AOM-PNP 2025 Best Dissertation Award, for "Public Employee Stereotypes: What are they? Do they matter?" #AOM2025 #pasky

Sheeling Neo
American University
Winner of the 2025 Best Dissertation Award
“Public Employee Stereotypes: What are they? Do they matter?”
Academy of Management, Public and Nonprofit Division

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Jun 1

"Talent gaat naar adviesbureaus en worden vervolgens weer ingehuurd. Ik vraag me af of de overheid daarmee beter af is.’"

Interview in Binnenlands Bestuur over waarom jonge ambtenaren massaal de overheid verlaten.

O.b.v. onderzoek onder 551 jonge ambtenaren en 115 gemeentesecretarissen.

Kloof tussen jonge en topambtenaar

Te weinig carrièreontwikkeling is de belangrijkste reden voor jonge ambtenaren om een gemeente te verlaten. Ook het ‘te weinig gebruik maken van hun competenties’ en een ‘gebrek aan financiële groei’ ...

www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 29

I'm going to talk today about how organizations and others manipulate you in their best interest, not yours.

#influence #manipulation

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 29

In a set of studies, we found that:

- Small financial rewards have no effect. That's wasted money.

- When the offered amount is increased, behavior changes, although only marginally.

Hence, money is not always the best motivator.

With @sebjilke.bsky.social in @pareview.bsky.social

Financial Rewards Do Not Stimulate Coproduction: Evidence from Two Experiments

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 29

💸 𝐏𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥 💸

Economists believe money improves performance. Psychologists argue that it's detrimental to performance. 🤔

In this classic paper, Gneezy & Rustichini show:

💰 Paid enough = better performance
💸 Paid little = worse performance than paying nothing.

Gneezy, U., & Rustichini, A. (2000). Pay enough or don't pay at all. The Quarterly journal of economics, 115(3), 791-810.

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 29

Great news! Public leadership is now more important than ever.

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 24

Looking forward to presenting on public #leadership today at City University of Hong Kong, based on the book by Paul 't Hart and me.

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 24

There are times leaders cannot avoid control. In times of intense crisis, control is helpful, as employees look to leaders for direction.

@pmreview.bsky.social @henricovanroekel.bsky.social

Empowering leadership in crisis: a natural experiment

Existing research suggests that empowering leadership enhances employee well-being, but context-specific empirical studies in the public sector remain scarce. We investigated whether this positive ...

www.tandfonline.com

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 24

On autonomy & prosociality:

Donald, J. N. et al. (2021). Paths to the light and dark sides of human nature: A meta-analytic review of the prosocial benefits of autonomy and the antisocial costs of control. Psychological Bulletin, 147(9), 921.

APA PsycNet

psycnet.apa.org

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 24

Controlling leaders aren't helping employees.

Instead, providing employees with autonomy increases their well-being and makes them more pro-social.

Autonomy is a basic psychological need. Great leaders know it and act on it.

Tummers, L., Steijn, B., Nevicka, B., & Heerema, M. (2018). The effects of leadership and job autonomy on vitality: Survey and experimental evidence. Review of public personnel administration, 38(3), 355-377.

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 17

🎓 Vacature Hoogleraar 🎓

We zoeken een hoogleraar organisatieontwikkeling en leiderschap voor maatschappelijke transities.

@utrechtuniversity.bsky.social

🔍 Onderzoek | 🎓 Onderwijs | 🤝 Leidinggeven | 🌍 Impact

🔁 Delen = fijn!

#vacature #hoogleraar #leiderschap

Hoogleraar organisatieontwikkeling & leiderschap voor transities

Draag bij aan fundamenteel en toegepast onderwijs en onderzoek naar organisatieontwikkeling en leiderschap voor maatschappelijke transities!

www.uu.nl

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 5

Thanks! Looking forward to contribute to further strengthen our public management field.

Reposted by Lars Tummers

Public Management Research Association @pmra-1991.bsky.social · Apr 4

The Public Management Research Association (PMRA) is pleased to formally announce the election of new members to its Board of Directors. We extend our warmest congratulations to the newly elected board member, Lars Tummers, and express our appreciation for his willingness to serve.

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Apr 2

A dumber smartphone makes you smarter—and happier.

Instead of browsing on their phone, people spent time socializing, exercising, and enjoying nature.

They could also focus better.

Not just correlation. Causal evidence.

📖 Source: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being. https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/2/pgaf017/8016017?login=false

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Mar 31

Overview of her thesis: www.uu.nl/en/events/ph...

PhD defence: The Faces of Bureaucracy

Isa Bertram will defend her PhD thesis 'The Faces of Bureaucracy. A multi-method study of civil servant stereotypes and their consequences'.

www.uu.nl

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Mar 31

Key article in Public Administration on confirmation bias:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Getting what you expect: How civil servant stereotypes affect citizen satisfaction and perceived performance

This study tests whether civil servant stereotypes affect how citizens experience public service delivery. Using a pre-registered survey vignette experiment (n = 1130), we activate civil servant ster...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Mar 31

🚨 Are bureaucrats being judged unfairly?

Today, Isa Bertram will defend her PhD on stereotypes about civil servants.

She shows:
❌ We have negative stereotypes about bureaucrats
❓ Such stereotypes affect our experience with bureaucrats, no matter how good the service is.

📷 Photos Jan Banning.

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Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Mar 28

Meer weten?

Promotie: Gezichten van de bureaucratie

Isa Bertram verdedigt haar proefschrift 'The Faces of Bureaucracy. A multi-method study of civil servant stereotypes and their consequences'.

www.uu.nl

Lars Tummers @tummers.bsky.social · Mar 28

✅ Mensen die moeilijk rond kunnen komen zijn kritischer over ambtenaren💰

<em>Public Administration Review</em> | ASPA Journal | Wiley Online Library

What views do people have of public sector workers? Public sector workers are often portrayed negatively. It is unclear, however, to what extent such negative perceptions are shared among different .....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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