New Public Brutalism: Wat wij kunnen leren

New Public Brutalism: Wat wij kunnen leren

10 december 2025

Hans Berggraaf recently sent me a link to the article New Public Brutalism Deserves Attention – Part I (Van Twist, Berg, & Van der Meer, 2025). He assumed I was already familiar with the concept, and he was right: I follow the NSOB, where one of the authors, Mark van Twist, serves as dean. I occasionally meet him during my visits to Paul Frissen.

The core of this idea aligns with what I have often tried to illustrate in my blog posts: how emotion increasingly supplants reason in leadership and decision-making.

We see it worldwide and close to home: leadership driven by emotion, loyalty, and polarization rather than by facts, institutions, or results. In public administration, this is referred to as New Public Brutalism (NPB). This style undermines institutions such as science, the media, and the judiciary, and makes rational policymaking increasingly difficult.

This connects directly with the trends I regularly discuss in my work: people sometimes opt for convenience or superficial data because deeper thinking requires effort; weakened institutions amplify societal problems; and polarization complicates cooperation. For auditors — such as those at SOAB and the ARC — and other professionals, staying critical, following the facts, and reporting transparently are more crucial than ever.

NPB is therefore not merely a new style of governance, but a clear warning. Vigilance, integrity, and professional courage are essential to protect our institutions and our society. The Ombudsman, the ARC, and the Council of Advice are working diligently to fulfill their roles as countervailing powers, but we still have work to do.

Miguel Goede