New development: strategic user orientation in public services delivery—the missing link in the strategic trinity?

This paper explores the application of strategic planning and management to Public Service Organisations (PSOs). It argues that the impact of these approaches has been limited by the absence of an underlying strategic orientation that would provide a value-base upon which to embed these approaches within PSOs. It argues further for such an orientation to privelege the need for public services to add value to the lives of citizens and service users and not to focus solely upon internal measures of efficiency and performance

Risking innovation:Understanding risk and public service innovation - evidence from a four nation study

This paper presents new evidence about the governance of risk in public service innovation. It finds that risk is currently poorly understood with public service organizations. Either it is presented as a professional issue or it is dealt with purely as an actuarial or health and safety issue. There is little understanding of risk as a core component of innovation. In response, this paper argues for a more nuanced risk governance approach that calls for transparent decision-making on risk in public service innovation in relation to its intended outcomes. Politicians and public service managers need to understand that risk is an inherent element of innovation, because it engages with uncertain outcomes. A framework needs to be evolved to balance these risks against potential benefits and which can drive forward transparent risk governance involving politicians, public service mangers, citizens and local communities and other key stakeholders. This approach also needs to accept that failure can often by an outcome of innovation. The key here is not to maintain the blame culture that has dominate the debate to date but rather to embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and to improve public services and their outcomes

Risk definition and risk governance in social innovation processes: A comparative case study across 4 EU-countries

Contains fulltext : 152677.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)75 p

Impurity free selective interdiffusion of pseudomorphic InyGa1-yAs/GaAs multiple quantum well laser and modulator structures

The cap layer dependence and selectivity of impurity free interdiffusion in molecular beam epitaxially grown pseudomorphic InyGa1-yAs/GaAs multiple quantum well structures with y=0.2 and 0.35 have been studied. The influence of the cap layer composition and deposition technique on the degree of interdiffusion has been investigated using photoluminescence. Whereas variations in compositon are found to result only in small variations in the interdiffusion induced band gap shift, a degree of selectivity suitable for monolithic laser/modulator integration can be achieved by combining electron beam evaporated SiO2 and chemical vapour deposited SiON films as cap layers. In addition, the compatibility of the impurity free interdiffusion process with the fabrication of devices containing highly strained Ino-35Gao-65As/GaAs multiple quantum wells has been demonstrated. Using photoluminescence microscopy and Raman scattering measurements, photoluminescence energy shifts of up to 200 meV have bee n observed without strain relaxation or generation of misfit dislocations, accompanied by a substantial reduction of the photoluminescence line width