Dr. Rasa Bortkevičiūtė
Lecturer
Research areas
Public administration
Additional info
rasa.bortkeviciute@tspmi.vu.lt
ORCID iD 
LinkedIn 
ResearchGate
Rasa Bortkevičiūtė obtained a bachelor degree of Political Science (2017) and graduated with Magna Cum Laude Diploma in Public Policy Analysis at IIRPS VU in 2019. During the study period she took place in exchange programs and studied in Bremen (Germany) and Utrecht (Netherlands). In 2021 she conducted a research fellowship in Utrecht University (supervisor – assoc. prof. Scott Douglas), in 2022 was a visiting researcher in Leiden University under the supervision of prof. Antoaneta Dimitrova, while in 2024 she conducted a fellowship in Uppsala University (supervisor – prof. Daniel Nohrstedt). In 2025, she defended her dissertation titled “Governing in Times of Crises and Turbulence: how does Stakeholder Engagement Link to Strengthening Resilience of the Lithuanian Governance Systems?” (supervisor prof. dr. Vitalis Nakrošis).
Her research focuses on the intersection of stakeholder engagement in policymaking, crisis management, and the resilience of public governance. In her work, Rasa applies qualitative research methods, with particular expertise in the Baltic region as well as Central and Eastern Europe. She is passionate about enhancing the quality of policymaking through various collaborative, innovative, and evidence-informed practices – an interest that extends beyond research to practical application. She is a member of the advisory group on the Open Government Partnership, established by the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, and has several years of experience in policy consultancy (at PPMI, currently a part of Verian group), including collaborations with organisations such as the European Commission and the OECD. In 2025 Rasa conducted her postdoctoral fellowship as part of the “Resilient Civil Society” project in Queen’s University Belfast, under the supervision of assoc. prof. Michele Crepaz. Since 2026, she is a postdoctoral fellow in Leiden University, where, as a part of the research group on Governance of Crises, she further analyses the impact of various crises and turbulences on non-governmental organisations.
Research projects and grants
Mobility, Migration and the COVID-19 Epidemic: Governing Emergencies in Lithuania and Poland (2021-2024), junior researcher. Project is financed by the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT), the leader of the project – prof. dr. D. Jakniūnaitė.
Resilience of welfare state institutions in Lithuania: the influence of significant events on adapting to systemic threats during 2004–2020 (2021-2022), junior researcher. Project is financed by the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT), the leader of the project – prof. dr. V. Nakrošis.
Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lithuania and other EU Member States: an Impact on Public Policy and the Management of the Emergency Situation (COPOVAL) (2020), junior researcher. Project is financed by the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT), the leader of the project – prof. dr. V. Nakrošis.
The impact of recommendations provided by the Sunset commissions on Lithuanian public management policy in 1999–2016 (2017-2018), junior researcher. Project is financed by the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT), the leader of the project – prof. dr. V. Nakrošis.
Research interests
Evidence based governance
Collaborative governance
Collaborative crisis management
Resilience
Cultural policies and museums governance
Open government
Stakeholders engagement in decision-making
Publications
Randma-Liiv, T., Bortkevičiūtė, R., Lember, V., Valtenbergs, V., & Nakrosis, V. (2025). Advancing Citizen Engagement Through Digital Tools: A Comparative Study of the Baltic States. International Journal of Public Administration, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2025.2517124
Arlauskaitė, N., Bortkevičiūtė, R., & Mataitytė, N. (2025). What solidarity? Pandemic governance discourse in Lithuania, 2020–2022. Journal of Baltic Studies, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/01629778.2025.2497807
Bortkevičiūtė, R. (2025), Status Quo, Minor or Major Policy Alterations? Explaining Policy Change After Crisis in the Adversarial Child Rights Protection Subsystem in Lithuania. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy. https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.70001
Bortkevičiūtė, R., Nakrošis, V., Patkauskaitė-Tiuchtienė, I., Vilpišauskas, R. (2024) Nėra to blogo, kas neišeitų į gera? Reikšmingų įvykių įtaka viešosios politikos kaitai Lietuvoje 2004–2020 m. [Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining. The Impact of Significant Events on Public Policy Change in Lithuania 2004-2020] Vilnius: Vilnius university press. Free e-book is available for download here: https://www.knygynas.vu.lt/nera-to-blogo-kas-neiseitu-i-gera-reiksmingu-ivykiu-itaka-viesosios-politikos-kaitai-lietuvoje-2004-2020-m-1
Bortkevičiūtė, R. (2023). ‘Simply by collaborating’? The impact of public and nongovernmental sectors collaboration experience on its institutionalization in the Lithuanian crisis management system. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12511
Nakrošis, V., Bortkevičiūtė, R. (2022). Resilience building during the management of the COVID-19 crisis in Lithuania: Major breakthroughs and incremental change. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 30, 295–306. https://doi.org/10.1111/jccm.12420
