Valuing Public Innovation

“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 


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. 

Rolf Rønning is Professor of Social Policy at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, and Visiting Professor at The Open University, UK. 

Jean Hartley is Professor of Public Leadership at The Open University Business School, The Open University, UK. 

Lars Fuglsang is Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Business at Roskilde University, Denmark, where he heads the research group on Innovation in Service and Experience. 

Karin Geuijen is an Assistant Professor in Public Management in the Department of Governance at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.