Innovation in public policymaking : lessons for small states

Abstract

Innovation, a phenomenon that dominates the 21st century, provides the answer for organisations to remain relevant, effective and efficient in a competitive market. Innovation can present itself in the creation of something entirely new or even improving something which already exists. This research studies innovation in the context of the public policy process. This is particularly important since public policy reflects a government’s response to solve a particular societal problem, aiming to improve the society in which citizens live in. The effectiveness by which government responds to societal problems, directly affects the quality of living in a particular society. Linking the concepts of innovation and the public policy process, the aim of this research is to identify and explore what makes the public policy process innovative, drawing lessons for small states. For this purpose, this dissertation presents a state-of-the-art systematic literature review focusing on peer-reviewed scholarly literature on the topic in question. This methodology uses systematic methods to conduct an in-depth analysis of secondary data and critically appraise studies of relevance to the research question, providing the right foundation for identifying common themes on what makes the policy process innovative. Four main themes emerged from this state-of-the-art systematic review: collaboration, deliberation, e-government and evidence based. When analysing these themes, the answer to what makes the public policy process innovative is when this process includes: collaboration, integration, inclusiveness, evidence based and forward-looking. The study goes one step further than identifying what makes the public policy process innovative. In fact, the retrieved themes and lessons from the state-of the-art literature review were discussed in the context of small states. Small states were chosen since they are often linked with being vulnerable and having limited resources, facing a greater challenge to be innovative. In some aspects their composition is an advantage; on the other hand, there are some aspects that are more difficult to be implemented in small states.