PHDINN907 Innovation in the Public Sector

Upon completion of the course, the candidate:

Knowledge

• is at the forefront of knowledge within his/her academic field concerning features and processes of public sector innovation and service production, their origin, spread and implementation in space and time;
• understands the distinctive features and processes of public sector innovation and service production, their origin, spread and implementation;
• can evaluate critically the expediency and application of innovation processes and the way in which they are geographically, institutionally and professionally embedded;
• can explain the relevance of different innovation types and complex combinations of types of innovation in the public sector, with and without the interplay of private (for-profit and non-profit) actors;
• can present state-of-the-art knowledge of the field and give an overview of the current academic debates on innovative governance and innovative service production;
• can discuss critically the theoretical and methodological approaches used in the field; and
• can contribute to the development of new knowledge, theories, methods, interpretations and forms of documentation in the field.

Skills

• can recognize and evaluate the theoretical and methodological approach(es) of a given study in the field of innovative governance, institution building and professional development;
• can reflect and communicate on the theoretical, methodological and/or ethical issues related to innovative governance;
• can develop his/her own research ideas in collaboration with established innovation researchers;
• can formulate a research design for a project in the field of innovative governance and public service production; and
• can carry out his/her own research and scholarly work to a high international standard, handle complex academic issues and challenge established knowledge and practice in the field.

General competence

• can assess the applicability and limitations of theoretical and conceptual foundations in the research field;
• can identify the needs and challenges for new research, and for the development of innovative practices, in the field of innovative governance and public service delivery, including ethical assessment;
• can manage complex and interdisciplinary projects that involve collaboration with other researchers and practitioners in the field;
• can communicate his/her own research and development work at academic conferences, in journals and to the public; and
• can participate in academic and other debates in the field, both nationally and internationally.