Ben Suykens is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Governance and Management at Ghent University. His research interests lie at the intersection of public and nonprofit management where he works on several topics including, but not limited to: nonprofit marketization, public-nonprofit accountability, nonprofit mergers and public sector consultancy. In these areas, the overarching question is under what contextual conditions these dynamics are (un)likely to strengthen organizational performance and societal impact of non-profit organizations. Ben is well-versed in both qualitative and quantitative methods, and increasingly turns to large-N cross-country comparison to provide a more nuanced and contextualized understanding of the dynamics and outcomes of nonprofit marketization. 

In addition to his research interests, Ben teaches several courses in the Public Administration program at Ghent University including ‘Public Management’ and ‘Nonprofit Management’. He serves as an editorial board member for Nonprofit Management & Leadership, is affiliated with the Centre for Civil Society Research at Marie Cederschiöld University, and is a member of the ISTR and ARNOVA communities.

References: 

Suykens, B., George, B., De Rynck, F., & Verschuere, B. (2021). Determinants of non-profit commercialism. Resource deficits, institutional pressures or organizational contingencies? Public management review, 23(10), 1456-1478. 

Suykens, B., Maier, F., Meyer, M., & Verschuere, B. (2023). Business-like and still serving society? Investigating the relationship between NPOs being business-like and their societal roles. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 52(3), 682-703. 

Suykens, B., Meyfroodt, K., Desmidt, S., & Verschuere, B. (2022). Does performance-based accountability impact how non-profit directors perceive organizational performance? Insights from rational planning. Public management review, 24(9), 1355-1382.