A Brookings Institution Press and Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation publication Sandford Borins addresses the enduring significance of innovation in government as practiced by public servants, analyzed by scholars, discussed by media, documented by awards, and experienced by the public. In The Persistence of Innovation in Government, he maps the changing landscape of American public sector innovation in the twenty-first century, largely by addressing three key questions: • Who innovates? • When, why, and how do they do it? • What are the persistent obstacles and the proven methods for overcoming them? Probing both the process and the content of innovation in the public sector, Borins identifies major shifts and important continuities. His examination of public innovation combines several elements: his analysis of the Harvard Kennedy School's Innovations in American Government Awards program; significant new research on government performance; and a fresh look at the findings of his earlier, highly praised book Innovating with Integrity: How Local Heroes Are Transforming American Government. He also offers a thematic survey of the field's burgeoning literature, with a particular focus on international comparison.

This is a timely and important contribution on innovation processes within the public sector. Departing from the myth of private equal to entrepreneurial, public equal to bureaucratic paralysis , it offers precious insights into public sector learning, entrepreneurship, of course inertias, and also the trade-offs involved in different management philosophies and performance evaluation methods. It is a rare example of political economy done right . Giovanni Dosi, Sant Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa Innovation and entrepreneurship have become the cornerstones for economic growth, jobs and competitiveness in the global economy. However, the burden for generating an innovative economy has fallen on the private sector. Scholars have been remarkably taciturn concerning the role for innovation and entrepreneurship in the public sector has remained strikingly invisible. No more. In Innovation in Public Sector Services, the authors assemble a team of leading international scholars in a path breaking study to identify the potential for the public sector in contributing to innovation and entrepreneurship. In particular, the volume introduces an insightful new analytical framework that lays the foundations for transforming a sleepy public sector into a dynamic, innovative and highly effective partner for leadership and change in the global era. Scholars, policy makers and business leaders who think that the public sector is condemned to being a hindrance to innovation and entrepreneurship rather than a leader championing change and competitiveness in a global economy would be well advised to read this important new book. David B. Audretsch, Indiana University, Bloomington, US and WHU, Germany This groundbreaking book provides new key insights and opens up an important research agenda. The book develops a new taxonomy of the different types of innovation found in public sector services, and investigates the key features and drivers of public sector entrepreneurship. The book contains new statistical studies and a set of six international case studies in health and social services. The research shows that public sector organisations are important innovators in their own right. Economic growth and social development depend on efficient public sector organisations that deliver high quality services, are effectively organised, and have excellent interactions with the private sector, NGOs and citizens. Public sector innovation is complex, invariably involving changes in services, organisational structures, and managerial practices. Essential to successful innovation are the policy entrepreneurs and service entrepreneurs who develop, organise and manage new innovations. This book provides key lessons for these public sector entrepreneurs. Innovation in Public Sector Services fills a fundamental gap; explaining the dynamics of innovation and entrepreneurship in public sector services and is of great importance for researchers, academics and students interested in innovation, entrepreneurship and strategy management. It provides a stimulating read for anyone working or interested in health and social services.

Addresses issues relevant to an understanding of the innovation journeys on which public organizations have embarked. If public innovation is defined as a necessary condition for establishing meaningful interactions between the government and society what are the relevant issues that may explain successful processes and forms of public innovation?

A Triple Helix of university-industry-government interactions is the key to innovation in increasingly knowledge-based societies. As the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge moves from the periphery to the center of industrial production and governance, the concept of innovation, in product and process, is itself being transformed. In its place is a new sense of 'innovation in innovation' - the restructuring and enhancement of the organizational arrangements and incentives that foster innovation. This triple helix intersection of relatively independent institutional spheres generates hybrid organizations such as technology transfer offices in universities, firms, and government research labs and business and financial support institutions such as angel networks and venture capital for new technology-based firms that are increasingly developing around the world. The Triple Helix describes this new innovation model and assists students, researchers, and policymakers in addressing such questions as: How do we enhance the role of universities in regional economic and social development? How can governments, at all levels, encourage citizens to take an active role in promoting innovation in innovation and, conversely, how can citizens so encourage their governments? How can firms collaborate with each other and with universities and government to become more innovative? What are the key elements and challenges to reaching these goals?

Public sector innovation is important because the pressures of growing expectations from citizens, budget crunches, and a surge of complex governance problems cannot be solved by standard government solutions or increased funding. In order to innovate, government increasingly needs to collaborate with networks of partners across agency boundaries and especially with the nonprofit and private sectors to find new solutions. This interaction within a network can enhance creative and effective governance solutions. In this book, Jacob Torfing closely examines the link between network-based collaborative governance and innovation, proposes a framework for the study of collaborative innovation, and discusses this approach in light of theoretical insights from other disciplines and from examples of public innovation drawn from the United States, Europe, and Australia. This book will move scholars closer to being able to develop a theory of collaborative innovation.

"The public sector looms large economically, both as a regulator of private economic activity and as a producer and consumer in its own right. The rewards to innovation in the public sector can be huge, but the obstacles can be formidable. In this book, policy makers and scholars from eight countries and two international organisations offer their unique insights on where the challenges lie and how they can be overcome. This publication is part of an ongoing series highlighting some of the results of the UNECE Subprogramme on Economic Cooperation and Integration. The objective of the Subprogramme is to promote a policy, financial and regulatory environment conducive to economic growth, knowledge-base developmetn and higher competitiveness in the UNECE region"--Back cover.

This book is open access under a CC BY license. Interest in social innovation continues to rise, from governments setting up social innovation 'labs' to large corporations developing social innovation strategies. Yet theory lags behind practice, and this hampers our ability to understand social innovation and make the most of its potential. This collection brings together work by leading social innovation researchers globally, exploring the practice and process of researching social innovation, its nature and effects. Combining theoretical chapters and empirical studies, it shows how social innovation is blurring traditional boundaries between the market, the state and civil society, thereby developing new forms of services, relationships and collaborations. It takes a critical perspective, analyzing potential downsides of social innovation that often remain unexplored or are glossed over, yet concludes with a powerful vision of the potential for social innovation to transform society. It aims to be a valuable resource for students and researchers, as well as policymakers and others supporting and leading social innovation.

"Thought provoking and fresh - this book challenges how we think about economics.” Gillian Tett, Financial Times For further information about recent publicity events and media coverage for Rethinking Capitalism please visit http://marianamazzucato.com/rethinking-capitalism/ Western capitalism is in crisis. For decades investment has been falling, living standards have stagnated or declined, and inequality has risen dramatically. Economic policy has neither reformed the financial system nor restored stable growth. Climate change meanwhile poses increasing risks to future prosperity. In this book some of the world’s leading economists propose new ways of thinking about capitalism. In clear and compelling prose, each chapter shows how today’s deep economic problems reflect the inadequacies of orthodox economic theory and the failure of policies informed by it. The chapters examine a range of contemporary economic issues, including fiscal and monetary policy, financial markets and business behaviour, inequality and privatisation, and innovation and environmental change. The authors set out alternative economic approaches which better explain how capitalism works, why it often doesn’t, and how it can be made more innovative, inclusive and sustainable. Outlining a series of far-reaching policy reforms, Rethinking Capitalism offers a powerful challenge to mainstream economic debate, and new ideas to transform it.

Repair, reuse and disposal are closely interlinked phenomena related to the service lives and persistence of technologies. When technical artefacts become old and worn out, decisions have to be taken: is it necessary, worthwhile or even possible to maintain and repair, reuse or dismantle them - or must they be discarded? These decisions depend on factors such as the availability of second-hand markets, repair infrastructures and dismantling or disposal facilities. In telling the stories of China's power grid, Canadian telephones, German automobiles and India's shipbreaking business, among others, the contributions in this volume highlight the persistence of technologies and show that maintenance and repair are not obsolete in modern industries and consumer societies.

The process of firms’ growth – in terms of productivity or employment – is a major concern of policy makers. In this context, innovations are considered to play a crucial role in stimulating firms’ performance. This book investigates this general hypothesis by looking at three topics: 1. Does innovation lead to an increase in employment growth? 2. Does innovation boost labour productivity? 3. Does innovation in one period improve innovation performance in subsequent periods?