《《Collaborative innovation in the public sector》.pdf

COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR BenBommert ABSTRACT This article claims that there is a need for a new form of innovation in the public sector because bureaucratic (closed) ways of innovating do not yield the quantity and quality of innovations necessary to solve emergent and persistent policy challenges. Based on these shortcomings the article defines a set of criteria, which a suitable form of public sector innovation needs to fulfill. The article shows that collaborative innovation meets these criteria because it opens the innovation cycle to a variety of actors and taps into innovation resources across borders, overcomes cultural restrictions and creates broad socio-political support for public sector innovation. The article highlights risks and issues associated with collaborative innovation and that the concept should not be discarded on these grounds since there is no suitable alternative to tackle emergent and persistent challenges. Finally, the article suggest s capacities, which government needs to develop to successfully implement collaborative innovation. However as research on innovation in the public sector is rather thin the article suggests a map for further research to substantiate the role of collaborative innovation in the public sector. INTRODUCTION Those less concerned with the study and practice of innovation in the public sector might claim that innovation in the public sector is an oxymoron. However, that conclusion is a fallacy if one considers the numerous innovations, which the public sectorproduces.SomeofthemostcelebratedinnovationsaretheOpenUniversityand the National Literacy Strategy in the UK. The yearly award winners of the Ford Foundation’sInnovationsinAmericanGovernmentprogram,administeredbyHarvard University’s Kennedy S