Recently published book: Valuing Public Innovation - Contributions to Theory and Practice

Valuing Public Innovation - Contributions to Theory and Practice, by Rolf Rønning, Jean Hartley, Lars Fuglsang and Karin Gueijen.

About the book

Public innovation is distinctive from private sector innovation by being set in a political system rather than a market. The roles of citizens and elected politicians as well as public servants and other stakeholders are frequently relevant. Public organizations can be creators, funders, orchestrators or sense-makers of innovations, which are carried out with the aim of benefitting society. 

This book provides a comprehensive insight into the theory and practice of public innovation using a wide range of research evidence about the processes, drivers and barriers, stakeholders and outcomes of innovation. Using the lens of public value, the book offers a stimulating discussion of how public innovation is valued and contested in current societies. 

Valuing Public Innovation aims to help develop a deeper understanding of innovation and how to use that knowledge in practical ways. This is essential reading for academics and students in the fields of innovation, organisation studies, public administration and public policy, as well as for policymakers and practitioners. 

Valuing Public Innovation Book

This gem of a book on public innovation deals directly with the politics fundamentally underpinning it and the challenges of assessing its impacts. The authors systematically work through several thorny issues related to defining public innovation and what it creates (or does not), and the multidisciplinary framework which shapes the structure of the book is a terrific resource. Their focus on public innovation as a space where societal problems are contested and addressed is clear, convincing, and useful.

Jenny Lewis, The University of Melbourne, Australia

Scholars, pundits, policymakers, and politicians have made much ado about public innovation, asserting its necessity for addressing complex societal challenges. But to date, the research has been disorganized and arguably, overly laudatory. This book sorts through the morass and moves beyond normative orthodoxy to offer a critical perspective about the drivers, structures, processes, activities, and outcomes of public innovation, particularly in terms of how they create (or destroy) public value. This framing of public innovation vis-à-vis public value creation is a powerful lens for understanding public innovation and its potential to helping us addresses the challenges of our time.

Tina Nabatchi, Syracuse University, US