Public Sector Innovation

Governments around the world are under pressure to do more with less. Dispelling the conventional wisdom that government is the enemy of innovation, this book argues that the promise of innovation addressing the most compelling societal problems will only come to fruition if governments become full partners and participants in innovation. The authors provide a systematic overview, analysis, framework, research agenda, and strategic directions for the study of public sector innovation, examining drivers, sources, barriers, typologies, and outcomes of innovation along with ethics. They suggest that innovation in government requires a new approach to public sector strategy, organization, human resources, and culture. Featuring large data analyses and poignant case studies drawn from best practices across the globe, Demircioglu and Audretsch identify what works and what doesn't in transforming governments from the periphery to the very heart of the most profound innovations driving societal change and development.

1. Introduction; 2. What is public sector innovation?; 3. Public versus private; 4. The context of public sector innovation; 5. Innovation typologies; 6. Why public sector innovation?; 7. Drivers and conditions for innovation; 8. Sources of knowledge and collaborative innovation; 9. Barriers to public sector innovation; 10. National systems of innovation and market and government failure; 11. Outcomes of public sector innovation; 12. Ethics and public sector innovation; 13. Conclusions; References.

Mehmet Akif Demircioglu is Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University. He is also affiliated with the Executive Education at the National University of Singapore, the Institute for Future Government at Yonsei University, the Institute for Development Strategies at Indiana University, and Arizona State University.
David B. Audretsch is Distinguished Professor in the O'Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. He was recognized as a Clarivate Citation Laureate in 2021 and awarded the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research by the Swedish Foundation for Entrepreneurship. He has received honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Augsburg, Jonköping University, and the University of Siegen, and been awarded the Schumpeter Prize from the University of Wuppertal.