The Persistence of Innovation in Government

Front Cover

SANDFORD BORINS B ORINS T HE P ERSISTENCE OF I NNOVATION IN G OVERNMENT Advance praise for THE PERSISTENCE OF INNOVATION IN GOVERNMENT “Sandford Borins has produced another tour de force. Combining comparative knowledge, data, and analysis from the 1990 and 2010 Kennedy School Innovations in American Government Awards applications, Borins presents a rich portrait of policy and management innovations in the U.S., comparing his findings to studies in Europe and around the world to paint a mosaic of how and why government innovation occurs. Written in clear and lively prose, and full of insights, I heartily recommend this book!” FRANCES S. BERRY, Frank Sherwood Professor of Public Administration, Florida State University “If the purpose of innovation in government is to help institutions of democratic governance adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and popular expectations, the work is far from finished. Sandford Borins, like the innovators he has studied for over two decades, persists in the mission to understand this important and difficult work.This wonderful book is a must-read for both optimists and skeptics of innovation in government.” JORRIT DE JONG, Lecturer in Public Policy and Management and Academic Director of the Innovations in Government Program, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government “Wise scholars early on seize a central issue to which they return recurrently over the course of a career. For Sandford Borins that defining theme, amid a widely varied research agenda, is the topic of this book. Innovation in the pursuit of public value is the ore-rich intellectual quarry, which he mines again and again. In this volume on the persistence of innovation he once more demonstrates, to the benefit of all of us who care about governmental performance, the payoff to persistence in inquiry.” JOHN D. DONAHUE, Faculty Chair, Masters in Public Policy Program, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government SANDFORD BORINS is a Professor of Public Management at the University of Toronto and a Research Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He studies narrative and innovation, and his previous books include Governing Fables: Learning from Public Sector Narratives (2011) and Innovating with Integrity: How Local Heroes Are Transforming American Government (1998). This is the eighth volume in the Innovative Governance in the 21st Century series, a project that examines important issues of governance, public policy, and administration, highlighting innovative practices and original research worldwide. Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Cambridge, Mass. www.ash.harvard.edu BROOKINGS INSTITUTION PRESS Washington, D.C. www.brookings.edu/press Cover by Rich Pottern Design; cover image © iStockphoto The Persistence of Innovation in Government 00-2560-2 FM:PWW 2284-7 4/18/14 10:07 AM Page i innovative governance in the 21st century anthony saich Series editor This is the eighth volume in a series that examines important issues of governance, public policy, and administration, highlighting innovative practices and original research worldwide. All titles in the series will be copublished by the Brookings Institution Press and the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, housed at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Decentralizing Governance: Emerging Concepts and Practices G. Shabbir Cheema and Dennis A. Rondinelli, eds. (2007) Innovations in Government: Research, Recognition, and Replication Sandford Borins, ed. (2008) The State of Access: Success and Failure of Democracies to Create Equal Opportunities Jorrit de Jong and Gowher Rizvi, eds. (2008) Unlocking the Power of Networks: Keys to High-Performance Government Stephen Goldsmith and Donald F. Kettl, eds. (2009) Ports in a Storm: Public Management in a Turbulent World John D. Donahue and Mark H. Moore, eds. (2012) Agents of Change: Strategy and Tactics for Social Innovation Sanderijn Cels, Jorrit de Jong, and Frans Nauta (2012) The PerformanceStat Potential: A Leadership Strategy for Producing Results Robert D. Behn (2014) The Persistence of Innovation in Government Sandford F. Borins (2014) 00-2560-2 FM:PWW 2284-7 4/18/14 10:07 AM Page ii ...