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Acknowledgments ix This book represents the latest product of my long-standing and extraordinarily fruitful research relationship with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. In recent years, the Ash Center has supported my involvement as editor of the 2008 book Innovations in Government: Research, Recognition, and Replication and as organizer of a seminar series in the 2009–10 academic year. I then received support for research on narratives about public sector innovation, on the determinants of the selection of semifinalists in the Innovations in American Government Awards, and on a comparative analysis of semifinalists in 2010 with those of two decades ago that I discussed in my 1998 book, Innovating with Integrity. These three research projects became the genesis of this book, and without that generous research support this book would not have been possible. Relationships, of course, depend on people, and three people at the Ash Center have been particularly helpful: Professor Tony Saich, director of the Ash Center , for his support; Marty Mauzy, executive director, and Christina Marchand, associate director for outreach. I thank them for their interest and encouragement . In addition, Christina organized my frequent visits to the Harvard Kennedy School, made application data available, answered my questions about selection procedures, and read and commented on the manuscript. The Department of Management at the University of Toronto, Scarborough also supported my research with a one-course reduction in my teaching load when I was completing the manuscript. Professor Richard Walker of the City University of Hong Kong, a distinguished and prolific public sector innovation scholar, collaborated with me on statistical analysis of the determinants of the selection of semifinalists in the Innovations in 00-2560-2 FM:PWW 2284-7 4/18/14 10:07 AM Page ix American Government Awards. I have incorporated much of our coauthored paper in chapter 6. I appreciate his statistical expertise and research collaboration. Two research assistants helped me immensely with the data generation and analysis. Kaylee Chretien, originally an undergraduate at the University of Toronto, Scarborough and now a public servant at Public Works and Government Services Canada, coded the Innovations in American Government Awards applications . Elizabeth Lyons, a doctoral student in strategic management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, analyzed the data generated by the coded applications. Both did work that was careful, thoughtful, and prompt. My spouse, Beth Herst, a literary scholar and playwright, read the manuscript and made numerous suggestions that clarified my arguments and improved how I expressed them. I am deeply grateful for her contribution to the book and consider myself very lucky that this intellectual collaboration is sustained by, and also enriches, our marriage. Two anonymous reviewers made numerous suggestions. I considered all of them carefully and have taken many of them on board. As I was completing the research and writing the book I made presentations at the Australian National University, Canberra; Institute of Public Administration of Australia, Melbourne; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , Paris; Roskilde University Political Science Department, Denmark; Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard University; the 2013 Public Management Research Conference, Madison, Wisconsin; and the Strategic Management Department, Rotman School of Management. The questions and comments of all these audiences were helpful in formulating my argument and explaining the supporting evidence. Finally, I appreciate the efforts of the team at Brookings Institution Press— senior acquisitions editor Chris Kelaher, managing editor Janet Walker, art coordinator Susan Woollen, and copy editor Katherine Scott—in helping me produce a volume that conveys with clarity and precision ideas that are expressed in both words and numbers. x Acknowledgments 00-2560-2 FM:PWW 2284-7 4/18/14 10:07 AM Page x ...

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