Renée Speijcken Research fellow Room 1.045

Research Interests:
She is specialized in the political, institutional and socio-economic dimensions of development cooperation and Aid processes with a focus on  the Governance process and Accountability relationships in International Aid (key words: accountability; aid effectiveness; donor coordination; corruption; participatory multi-stakeholder policy- and decision making processes; new aid modalities and institutional development).

She has been active in these areas over the last 10 years, as a researcher, consultant and as a policy advisor. Her professional experience embraces assignments and research projects in the above mentioned fields in Central America and Sub Sahara Africa including impact assessments of international and local aid projects on the social and economic conditions of communities, families and children (Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), research on the role and changing institutional and political context of non state actors in Sub Saharan African countries (mainly NGOs) in developing international partnership agreements with the European Union and comparative research on the impact of donor policies and the new aid architecture on (local) civil society and political actors in the decision making & Governance processes in developing countries.

Professional Experience:
After graduation (1994) and before co-founding the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance at Maastricht University (2004) she worked extensively as a program officer, researcher, consultant and policy analyst on issues of EU development policy with a special focus on the Latin American, African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries, both in developing countries (Mexico, Nicaragua at local NGOs & short field trips in various other countries) as well as in Europe (Amsterdam, policy analyst at a Dutch non governmental development and campaigning organization (INZET), in Brussels and Strasbourg (policy advisor for Member of European Parliament) and in Maastricht (policy analyst for the European Centre for Development Policy Management, ECDPM). She also worked in the area of Higher Education. As a policy advisor to the University board of Maastricht University she was responsible for implementing innovative international programs and processes (bachelor/master structure; European Studies; University College). At the end of 2003, ideas on the establishment of ‘a School of Governance' developed within Maastricht University. In September 2004, with the full support of the Board of Maastricht University, Professor Chris de Neubourg and Ms. Speijcken founded the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance. As a researcher and associated director of the School of Governance, she was responsible for international projects and programmes. After three pioneering years in which the School developed into a steady going enterprise, she is now, from September 2007 onwards, given the opportunity to concentrate on her research activities for the coming years.