The modernization of public administration is a recurring theme on the political and public agenda in many countries. Modernization presupposes innovation. However, is an innovative public administration a contradiction in terminis? According Aloïs Schumpeter, the founding father of innovation theory, the lack of competition in the public sector, the short term orientation of politicians and the bureaucratic nature of public organizations, focusing on creating stability, predictability, legal security and legal equality, frustrates the ability of public sector organizations to look for new ideas, new practices, new services and new organizations. However, if we look at the practice of public administration, and evaluate – from an evolutionary perspective – how public administration has transformed itself during the last 40 years, we actually see a variety of radical and incremental changes. Hence, innovation does take place. This book clearly demonstrates how public administration organizations try to adapt to changing circumstances in their environment in order to secure their legitimacy.

At the same time we see that public administration tries to respond and anticipate to new technological developments as well as to make use of them. In many countries e-government has become the symbol of the way in which ICT has penetrated in the nerves of ministries, local and regional government and all kinds of agencies. More-over, a seamless web of information exchange, transaction and communication relations has been spun within and between all kinds of public, private and semi-public organizations which are involved in the formulation and implementation of public policy programs, the execution of public laws and regulations and the evolving delivery of public services. ICT can be seen as tool, which facilitates the implementation of all kinds of public innovations on the one hand; on the other hand the possibilities ICT offers can also be seen as a perspective of change. They can help us frame new possibilities or re-frame existing practices, thereby stimulating a process of ‘creative destruction’.

However, how should we assess the added value of ICT to support public innovations? In this book a number of case studies have been presented in which different kind of ICT-driven innovations have been described and analyzed. All the chapters have been subjected to a review procedure in order to guarantee the quality of the contributions. In the selection of the chapters we have differentiated between several kinds of innovations in which ICT has been used in a substantial way. A distinction has been made between technological, service, organizational, conceptual and institutional innovations. Furthermore we have tried to ensure an international comparative overview of innovations. Case studies have been included from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States of America, Denmark, Germany, Finland and Estonia.

We have tried to assess these innovations in two ways. From an instrumental perspective we have looked at the way in which ICT has supported the achievement of different innovations. What factors have contributed to the way in which the innovation goals have been accomplished? From an institutional perspective we have looked at the question, if the use of ICT has contributed to qualitative changes in public administration? Did ICT reinforce existing practices, or did it substantially generate new practices, new relationships and new concepts? Moreover, we have included some chapters that address these questions from a more reflective point of view.

We would like to thank Vivian Carter, Rebecca Moody and the translation service of Capgemini for their help with the editing of the chapters.

Rotterdam/Tilburg, April 2005

Victor Bekkers, Hein van Duivenboden, Marcel Thaens