Innovation in Public Service

The public sector plays a very significant role in modern economies. As in the business sector,
innovation can be a major source of productivity growth, cost savings and improvements in
service quality; benefits which then also positively affect businesses and citizens who rely on an
efficient and effective public sector. The ability of the public sector to innovate is therefore
increasingly seen as a critical element of economy-wide innovation performance.

The collection of contributions in this publication address a wide range of issues related to the
promotion of innovation in the public sector as well as policy lessons learned in this area,
drawing on the experiences of different countries. Countries are at different stages in the
conceptualization and implementation of relevant strategies.
Overall, there is a need to further develop the understanding of innovation in the public sector
and to increase policy awareness. This creates significant scope for policy learning and the
exchange of experiences through international multilateral initiatives. I hope that this publication
will contribute to the dissemination of good practices in the promotion of innovation in the
public sector and a useful reference for policymakers and other innovation stakeholders in their
activities.

What is innovation?
The word “innovation” comes from the Latin word Innovate, which means to renew. Innovation
means to improve a technique to do the work more effective and easier than before. We can say
Innovation is a process by which a product or a service is renewed up to date by applying new
processes, introducing new techniques or establishing successful ideas to create a new value so
that service receiver can enjoy service more easier than before.
In economic terms, innovation describes the development and application of ideas and
technologies that improve goods and services or make their production more efficient than
before.
A classic example of innovation is the development of steam engine technology in the 18th
century. Steam engines could be put to use in factories, enabling mass production, and they
revolutionized transport with the railways. More recently, information technology transformed
the way companies produce and sell their goods and services, while opening up new markets and
new business models.

Distinction of innovation
Innovation – such as a completely new product or new way of looking at an old problem–
constitutes a radical discontinuity with the past. This radical discontinuity is the main difference
between innovation and improvement. Relevant types of innovation are:

 Process innovations (think of the development of a one-stop shop by a municipality or

various technological innovations);
 Product or service innovations (such as a new passport);
 Governance innovations (such as giving citizens more autonomy when choosing which
hospital to go to); and
 Conceptual innovations (such as looking at someone’s ability to work, not his/her
disability).

When discussing innovation, we see that the scholarly perspective that we used to understand
these processes has changed considerably. Originally, the founding father of innovation theory,
linked innovation to invention and entrepreneurship – think, for instance, of the invention of
assemblage techniques by Henry Ford. However, in order to get inventions implemented and
adopted, such inventions had to be ‘sold’. Hence, successful innovation depended on
entrepreneurship, stressing the individual qualities of the inventor/entrepreneur. Later on, in the
1960s, innovation was seen as a systematic approach that could be organized and programmed: if
you had the necessary resources (people, budget and knowledge) at one location, innovation
could happen. Organizations, therefore, set up specific research and development units. More
recently, scholars started talking about the emergence of so-called ‘milieux of innovation’. This
approach stresses the importance of the fact that innovation does not only take place in specific
organizations. Organizations should be willing to share vital resources (like ideas, knowledge,
funds and people) across organizational boundaries. Innovation in these ‘milieux’ is seen as a
process of collaboration and co-creation between stakeholders in order to address societal
challenges. That is why, in the innovation literature, one talks about ‘open innovation’, in
contrast to the rather one-sided and closed approach of the previous two approaches.

Why do we need innovation?

Innovation is one of the most important factors of developing qualities in all the activities of the
government. One of the important benefits of innovation is its contribution to improve the
quality of service that helps to improve economic growth. We can say that innovation can lead to
higher productivity; using the same input generates a greater output.
So I believe if we want to give more quality service to the people we have to develop innovative
ideas so that we can make service easier to the people.

Challenges for Public service innovation in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, government innovations may be introduced to enable policy makers to meet
certain targets or objectives, to improve the services provided by the state to its citizens, to
strengthen the country’s economic growth, and to address various socioeconomic and political
problems that affect the government and the people.

Indeed, the strength of developing countries strongly depends on their ability to generate and
integrate innovations. The government of Bangladesh has been under pressure to respond to the
demands of its citizens.

Every government has undertaken different initiatives for sociopolitical development,

administrative improvements, and economic security. But these innovations failed more often
than they succeeded, which hindered the establishment of good governance and the country’s
overall development. Therefore, Bangladesh needs to introduce innovative mechanisms,
strategies, and policies to improve technological infrastructure, human capital, and economic
performance and to strengthen innovation capacities in the changing modern environment. Some
notable challenges are given bellow.
Knowledge based Challenges

1. Insufficient Innovation Potential

2. Lack of Qualified Personnel
3. Lack of an Adequate Management System
4. Lack of Advanced Technology
5. Lack of Information on Technology and Markets

Institutional Challenges

1. Weak Intellectual Property Rights

2. Lack of Infrastructure
3. Legal Factors

Cost Challenges

1. Exaggerated Perception of Risk

2. Complicated Financial Markets
3. High Costs

Political Challenges
1. Absence of Democracy
2. Confrontational Politics
3. Absence of Strong Political Leadership
4. Authoritarian Approach by Government
5. Lack of Accountability and Transparency
6. Political Corruption

Administrative Challenges

1. Bureaucratic Corruption
2. Lack of Strategic Vision
3. Bureaucratic Complexity
 4. Centralized Decision-Making
5. Politicization of the Bureaucracy

Social Challenges

1. Social Instability and Inequity

2. Illiteracy and Lack of Education

Conclusion
The government of Bangladesh is committed to building a secular, progressive, democratic,
knowledge-based modern welfare state. The present democratic government has declared in its
“Vision 2041” the intention to establish Bangladesh as a developed and modern country by 2041.
So it is very necessary to stimulate, support, and carefully nurture the spirit of creativity and

innovation. Innovation in Public Service means initiating new and creative plans, policies, and
strategies to bring change to the administrative sector, accelerate the market economy, and bring
stability to politics and society. The Bangladesh government has to ensure political peace and
stability by reducing corruption, turbulence, and political egotism. Because it is proved that if
every public sector can give innovative service to the citizen Bangladesh will definitely be
developed country by 2041.
References
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