NEW DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL INNOVATION: COLLABORATIVE PROCESSES AND INNOVATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Abstract

The importance of the concept of ‘social innovation’ and the attention it has gained seem to be ever growing. The scientific literature in the field has expanded accordingly, insisting upon the necessity of developing a specialized terminology and methodology of research. Elaborating from the categories of innovation established by the Oslo Manual, researchers have advanced another notion, that of ‘public innovation’ or ‘innovation in the public sector’, making efforts at providing a conceptual framework, finding methods of analysis and research, and at establishing its particular features.

The present paper intends to offer an analysis of the new trends of the scientific research in the field of social innovation, with a special interest in the category of public innovation. This newer topic of research is considered as necessary by many theoreticians and professionals alike, in the current context in which the public administration is confronted with a wide range of complex issues.