PhD Nils Hertting is Associate Professor in Political Science at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF) and the Department of Government, Uppsala University. His research covers different aspects of local governance, urban democracy, and evaluation practices in the public sector. His research relates to theories on deliberative and participative modes of network governance, the democratic and integrative functions of ethnic associations, political participation, and evaluation theory. In two ongoing projects he is investigating the relation between rational choice approaches, constructivism and anthropological methods together with sociologists and anthropologists.

Current research projects:

• Ethnic Organization and Political Integration in the City together with professor Bo Bengtsson (IBF) and Gunnar Myrberg (Department of Government). Financed by: Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.

• Who Gets the Right to the City? Governance, resistance and conflict in public space together with professor Mats Franzén (IBF) and PhD Catharina Thörn (Centrum för kulturstudier, Göteborgs universitet). Financed by Vetenskapsrådet.

• Deepening Urban Democracy? Functional networks, political equality and local elites together with Marianne Danielsson (Dep. of Government, Uppsala university) and Clarissa Kugelberg (IBF). Financed by: Formas.

• Dilemmas of Participative Network Planning: Sustainability, democracy and planning in France, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden (Coodinator of comparative research project together with Clarissa Kugelberg). Financed by the European research consortium Urban-Net

• Governance doctrines and evaluation practices in evaluation-dense politics (together with professor Evert Vedung, IBF).