Innovation in public governance and management

This chapter explores how to identify the key innovations in public governance and public management which have occurred over past decades, how to analyse the changing characteristics of the public sector which have shaped the kinds of innovations which have taken place, and what the drivers of innovation have been in the public domain. The impact of the kind of governance and management innovations described in this chapter is difficult to measure since, frequently, changing the existing forms of governance and management will not appear to have any direct effect on the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of public sector - however, they will tend to have an indirect effect as they tend to create and improve the conditions for the improvement of and/or innovation in public service, regulation, and policy. In a turbulent world, we will most likely see a dramatic increase in governance and management innovation because unpredictable social, economic, and political dynamics will tend to prompt institutional and practical changes to preserve goals, values, and functionalities that are deemed fundamental to the public sector but are threatened by new tumultuous events.