dr. B. (Barbara) Brink

Barbara Brink teaches public administration and policy science and conducts research on social security policy and digital governance. In particular, her work focuses on the interplay between policy structures, income support and social security, focusing on both policy design and implementation issues.

Her recent research explores minimum income guarantees, looking critically at the rationale and design of such programmes. Her studies include the historical development of the household concept and the impact of policy choices around household definitions on access to social assistance (e.g. ‘The household as a constraint on social assistance’ with Maarten Bouwmeester).

She also studies the digitisation of government, with a specific focus on the impact of algorithmic decision-making and digital systems on social security. Within this framework, she and her co-authors analysed, among other things, the importance of transparency in digital decision-making and how such processes can be shaped (e.g. ‘From human intervention to human involvement’, 2025, with Lucas Haitsma).

Previously, Dr Brink was a postdoctoral researcher on the project ‘The future of the universal welfare state: between social assistance and a guaranteed minimum income’, funded by the Institute GAK (2018-2022). This project investigated whether a universal welfare state can contribute to guaranteed minimum incomes and emphasised the importance of equity, simplicity and future-proofing within social security. The findings argue for universalist approaches and explore how policies can contribute to social justice and inclusion.

Her PhD research examined the role of city councils in EU governance, focusing on their participation in the EU URBAN programmes through a comparative analysis of Rotterdam and Strathclyde. Her research, drawing on social constructivist approaches, highlights how city councils gradually gained legitimacy and influence in urban policymaking. Over time, their participation contributed to the institutionalisation of their role, shaping both the scope of urban policies and their position within EU governance.