Innovation in the Public Sector: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

This article brings together empirical academic research on public sector innovation. Via a systematic literature review we investigate 181 articles and books on public sector innovation, published between 1990 and 2014. These studies are analysed based on the following themes: (1) the definitions of innovation, (2) innovation types, (3) goals of innovation, (4) antecedents of innovation and (5) outcomes of innovation. Based upon this analysis, we develop an empirically-based framework of potentially important antecedents and effects of public sector innovation. We propose three future research suggestions: (1) more variety in methods: moving from a qualitative dominance to using other methods, such as surveys, experiments and multi-method approaches; (2) emphasize theory development and testing as studies are often theory-poor; and (3) conduct more cross-national and cross-sectoral studies, linking for instance different governance and state traditions to the development and effects of public sector innovation

Innovations in the Public Sector: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

Abstract In the public administration literature there has been increasing attention to innovation, due to for instance New Public Management (NPM), budget constraints of states and societal problems like ageing. However, enquiry is mainly based on conceptual or normative articles and books, thereby lacking an evidence-based approach. Based on a systematic review of the literature in the period 1990-2013 this article synthesize empirical publications on public sector innovation - linking innovation as a process and innovation as an outcome. The articles are analyzed based on the themes of the definitions of innovations, objectives, types, influential factors to the innovation process (including the adoption and diffusion stage) and outcomes. We further identified whether the studies referred to certain policy fields as well as their employed methods. The research shows that influential factors related to both the organizational, environmental and employee level as well as innovation characteristics should be taken into account. Our findings concentrate on the huge variety in the field, which points to the very fragmented nature of public innovation. We propose an agenda for the study of public sector innovation that address various methodological, theoretical and empirical gaps

Innovation in the Public Sector: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

__Abstract__ This article consolidates the empirical state-of-the-art on academic research on public sector innovation. Done by the method of a systematic review of the literature (1990-2014), 158 articles and books are analysed, based on the themes of the 1) definition of innovation, 2) innovation types, 3) objectives, 4) influential factors to the innovation process (including the adoption and diffusion stage) and 5) outcomes. Results shows that most studies do not pay attention to the outcomes of the innovation process. Furthermore, more quantitative studies are welcome, given the qualitative dominance in the field. Based upon the systematic review, an overall empirical based model is presented regarding the potential influential factors, types and outcomes of innovation in the public sector. Directions for future research are proposed that address various methodological, theoretical and empirical gaps. Keywords: • Systematic review • Public sector innovation • Diffusion • Adoptio

Justice in climate policy:Distributing climate costs fairly

This open access book is looking into ways to achieve just climate policy within a country. The authors of this monograph share a unique, timely and original vision: continuous support for climate policy is more likely to emerge when citizens find that the distribution of the bill for climate costs is fair. But what is a fair distribution of climate costs? This is an important question because financial costs of mitigation (reducing greenhouse gases), adaptation (adapting to climate change) and damage (compensating or compensating after weather extremes) increase significantly in the coming decades. Drawing on philosophy and ethics, the authors propose ten principles for achieving just distributions of domestic climate costs. Examples of such principles are individual responsibility, the polluter pays, greatest utility and capacity to pay. Yet what a fair distribution is, depends on, for example, political preferences and the policy issue at hand. Empirical research on designing climate policies, however, shows that distributive principles are not part of the political, policy, and public discussions. The authors therefore argue that explicit attention to principles of just distribution at the start of a policy process contributes to support for climate policy. This book provides tools to professionals and students to achieve justice in climate policy

A stakeholder perspective on public sector innovation: why position matters

Studies on the adoption of innovations often treat an organization as a uniform entity. Such studies implicitly assume that perceptions regarding the adoption of an innovation are identical across the organization. However, organizational theory and change management literature argue that organizations are composed of distinct groups that have different values and goals. It is therefore important to dissect the organization and to look at the various internal stakeholders involved. In this study, we follow this advice and study how two key organizational groups (city managers and Works Council members) perceive their organization’s members’ views regarding the specific innovation of teleworking. We use unique data collected through two nationwide surveys of city managers and Works Council members. The results show that there are crucial differences in the perceptions of the two grou

Airway eosinophils accumulate in the mediastinal lymph nodes but lack antigen-presenting potential for naive T cells

Asthma is characterized by infiltration of the airway wall with eosinophils. Although eosinophils are considered to be effector cells, recent studies have reported their ability to activate primed Th2 cells. In this study, we investigated whether eosinophils are capable of presenting Ag to unprimed T cells in draining lymph nodes (DLN) of the lung and compared this capacity with professional dendritic cells (DC). During development of eosinophilic airway inflammation in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice, CCR3(+) eosinophils accumulated in the DLN. To study their function, eosinophils were isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice by sorting on CCR3(+)B220(-)CD3(-)CD11c(dim) low autofluorescent cells, avoiding contamination with other APCs, and were intratracheally injected into mice that previously received CFSE-labeled OVA TCR-transgenic T cells. Eosinophils did not induce divisions of T cells in the DLN, whereas DC induced on average 3.7 divisions in 45.7% of T cells. To circumvent the need for Ag processing or migration in vivo, eosinophils were pulsed with OVA peptide and were still not able to induce T cell priming in vitro, whereas DC induced vigorous proliferation. This lack of Ag-presenting ability was explained by the very weak expression of MHC class II on fresh eosinophils, despite expression of the costimulatory molecules CD80 and ICAM-1. This investigation does not support any role for airway eosinophils as APCs to naive T cells, despite their migration to the DLN at times of allergen exposure. DC are clearly superior in activating T cells in the DLN of the lung

The effects of intravitreal injections on intraocular pressure and retinal nerve fiber layer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The number of eye diseases treated with intravitreal injections is increasing. Obviously, an injection of fluid into the eye results in an increase of intraocular pressure (IOP), the main risk factor for glaucoma. However, the effect of these repeated IOP increases on the eye is unclear. Therefore, we performed a systematic review with meta-analyses. PubMed, Embase and Clinical Trials Registries were searched for articles investigating the relationship between intravitreal injections (anti-vascular endothelial growth factor [anti-VEGF] or steroids) and either IOP, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL)-thickness and glaucoma. Multiple meta-analyses were performed, combining data on intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF medication and dexamethasone implants. A total of 74 articles were eligible for meta-analyses. The short-term effect of an intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF showed a statistically significant increase in IOP. One day after injection of anti-VEGF, however, IOP was significantly lower than baseline. The long-term time-intervals showed no significant difference in IOP. After intravitreal injection of a dexamethasone implant, IOP was significantly higher than baseline 1 month post-injection. RNFL-thickness was significantly reduced 6 and 12 months post-injection of anti-VEGF, as well as at end of follow up. Caution is advised when using intravitreal medication, especially when treating patients with advanced glaucoma; in these cases, prophylactic IOP-lowering medication may be considered

Lipopolysaccharide-induced suppression of airway Th2 responses does not require IL-12 production by dendritic cells

The prevalence of atopic asthma, a Th2-dependent disease, is reaching epidemic proportions partly due to improved hygiene in industrialized countries. There is an inverse correlation between the level of environmental endotoxin exposure and the prevalence of atopic sensitization. As dendritic cells (DC) have been implicated in causing sensitization to inhaled Ag, we studied the effect of endotoxin on Th2 development induced by bone marrow DC in vitro and by intratracheal injection in vivo, with particular emphasis on the role played by the polarizing cytokine IL-12. Bone marrow-derived DC stimulated with Escherichia coli O26:B6 LPS produced IL-12p70 for a limited period of time, after which production became refractory to further stimulation with CD40 ligand, a phenomenon previously called "exhaustion." The level of IL-12 production of DC did not correlate with Th1 development, as exhausted OVA-pulsed DC were still capable of shifting the cytokine pattern of responding OVA-specific Th cells toward Th1 in vitro and in vivo. When mice were first immunized by intratracheal injection of OVA-DC and subsequently challenged with OVA aerosol, prior in vitro stimulation of DC with LPS reduced the development of airway eosinophilia and Th2 cytokine production. Most surprisingly, the capacity of LPS to reduce Th2-dependent eosinophilic airway inflammation was IL-12-independent altogether, as IL-12p40 knockout DC had a similar reduced capacity to prime for Th2 responses. These results suggest that LPS reduces sensitization to inhaled Ag by reducing DC-driven Th2 development, but that IL-12 is not necessary for this effect

The Spitzer c2d Survey of Nearby Dense Cores: VI. The Protostars of Lynds Dark Nebula 1221

Observations of Lynds Dark Nebula 1221 from the Spitzer Space Telescope are presented. These data show three candidate protostars towards L1221, only two of which were previously known. The infrared observations also show signatures of outflowing material, an interpretation which is also supported by radio observations with the Very Large Array. In addition, molecular line maps from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory are shown. One-dimensional dust continuum modelling of two of these protostars, IRS1 and IRS3, is described. These models show two distinctly different protostars forming in very similar environments. IRS1 shows a higher luminosity and larger inner radius of the envelope than IRS3. The disparity could be caused by a difference in age or mass, orientation of outflow cavities, or the impact of a binary in the IRS1 core.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap