An Innovative Public Sector? Embarking on the Innovation Journey

Innovation in the public sector can be described as a learning process in which governments attempt to meet specific societal challenges, such as the fight against crime, the fight against rising sea levels or the fight against traffic congestion. The way in which governments are able to develop and implement new services, technologies, organizational structures, management approaches, governance processes and policy concepts in order to deal with these challenges touches upon the legitimacy of government. In the introductory chapter to this book, it was argued that many public innovations are aimed at creating meaningful and trustworthy interactions between government and society.