Public Sector Innovation in Southern AfricaEdition 1

This timely and thought-provoking book argues that public sector innovation ameliorates many societal challenges in Southern Africa, demonstrating how innovative practices are already improving service delivery and addressing governance gaps.

Bringing together a diverse range of scholars, this book’s chapters provide insights into the challenges and opportunities shaping innovation in the public sector. The book highlights the emergence of a new public administration paradigm grounded in theory: innovation in public administration. Through theoretical reflections and case studies from Zimbabwe and South Africa, the chapter authors navigate institutional, technological, and socio-political issues undergirding public sector innovation. The contributors provide perspectives on public governance, examining innovations such as policy innovation labs, smart cities, 4IR, e-procurement, and how technology adoption closes the digital divide and affects citizens’ sense of gain. The book further discusses the institutionalisation of innovation and transitioning to innovation for change, concluding by reflecting on public sector innovation in the future of Southern Africa.

The insights shared serve as an essential resource for policymakers, researchers (across fields of public administration, political economy, and African studies), and development practitioners committed to reimagining governance and advancing public sector transformation in Southern Africa.