Association universitaire de recherche sur l'action publique

AURAP (Association Universitaire de recherche sur l'Action Publique) is a research center of the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) in French-speaking Belgium. It is part of the Political Science and International Relations unit (SPRI) of the Department of Political and Social Sciences (POLS) of UCL. AURAP thus is to be situated in a university context at the heart of a unit specialized in political science, to which it brings a new perspective thanks to its expertise in the field of political action (public affairs and policy analysis).

AURAP activities are structured around two major themes (AURAP home): public affairs and policy analysis. The theme of public affairs covers the issues of relationship between administration and citizen, human resources management, budgetary management and organizational change and modernization of public administration and enterprises. As for the theme of public policy, the issues are public network services, natural resource management and public policy assessment. The apparent diversity of research and teaching themes privileged by AURAP hides preoccupations that are common to the members of the association. These are categorised according to four transversal questions: public service, public regulation, multi-level governance and public property.

AURAP is at once a research and a teaching center. The association is involved in research financed by external funds (the European Union, SSTC and the National Bank of Belgium), in teaching classes at UCL and also participates in in-service training modules.

Research

As far as the research aspect in particular is concerned, AURAP's objectives are the development of expertise in the following issues:
- public sector reform and its influence on the relationship between administration, public enterprises and politicians in charge (for instance, the Copernicus project in Belgium, the liberalisation and the privatisation of public service networks);
- institutional regimes for the management of natural resources (for instance, water, air, soil, forests, landscape, world genetic heritage) and of cultural resources (for instance, building heritage);
- the assessment of public policy and its institutionalisation, notably in Belgium.

AURAP members would also like to reinforce the analysis of transversal issues, crossing the boundaries of the various ongoing research projects. For instance, the following themes imply a common reflection process:
- the influence of property rights on the conduct of public affairs;
- the links between institutional design and substantial policy and a consociative democracy.

The summaries of the research projects of AURAP members as well as the majority of working papers on these projects are available on this site in English.

The research results consist above all in contributions to scientific gatherings, research reports and multiple individual publications (see the individual CVs and publications of AURAP members).
 
Teaching

As far as teaching is concerned, AURAP participates actively in the training in public affairs at UCL, and this at quite specialised levels. Indeed, the various second (master's and post-graduate level) and third cycle degrees (pre-doctoral level) include specialised courses in public management and public policy analysis in the framework of the "public affairs" specialisation. Some of these courses are taught by AURAP members and are thus closely linked to AURAP research activities. AURAP members also participate in various in-service training programs, notably destined for the Belgian federal civil service (Public Management Program – PUMP).
 
AURAP membership

AURAP (aurap@spri.ucl.ac.be) is composed of:
David AUBIN, professor (CV )
david.aubin@uclouvain.be
Tél.: +32 (0)10 47 42 74 Fax: +32 (0)10 47 46 03

Christian de VISSCHER, professor (CV )
devisscher@spri.ucl.ac.be
Tél.: +32 (0)10 47 42 21 Fax: +32 (0)10 47 42 21

Olivier MAISCOCQ, researcher (CV )
maiscocq@spri.ucl.ac.be
Tél.: +32 (0)10 47 41 34 Fax: +32 (0)10 47 46 03

Michael STASSART, researcher (CV )
stassart@spri.ucl.ac.be
Tél.: +32 (0)10 47 42 16 Fax: +32 (0)10 47 46 03

Associated membership:

Jacques BERTRAND, PhD student
kojak2222@yahoo.ca
 
Valérie FRIPPIAT, PhD student
valerie.frippiat@brunette.brucity.be
 
Steve JACOB
Steve.Jacob@pol.ulaval.ca
 
Diane van GILS, PhD student
dvangils@skynet.be
 
Frédéric Varone
frederic.varone@unige.ch
 
Visiting professors:

Pierre BAUBY, CELSIG
pierre.bauby@noos.fr , http://www.celsig.org/
 
Philippe BEZES, CERSA, Université Paris II
philippe.bezes@cersa.org , http://www.cersa.org
 
Jean-Michel EYMERI, Institut d'études politiques de Toulouse
jean-michel.eymeri-douzans@sciencespo-toulouse.fr , http://www.sciencespo-toulouse.fr
 
Pierre MULLER, CEVIPOF, Sciences Po, Paris
muller@msh-paris.fr , http://www.cevipof.msh-paris.fr/
 
François PETRY, CAPP, Université Laval (Québec)
Francois.Petry@pol.ulaval.ca , http://www.capp.ulaval.ca
 
Jean-Louis THIEBAULT, Institut d'études politiques de Lille
jean-louis.thiebault@iep.univ-lille2.fr , http://195.83.2.11/
 
Contact:

AURAP (aurap@spri.ucl.ac.be)
1 Place Montesquieu, b. 7
B - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Belgium
Tel.: ++ 32 (0)10 47 42 16
Fax: ++ 32 (0)10 47 46 03