Public sector innovation and wicked problems in Asia: From reactive to proactive governance
Raghavan A. Orazgaliyev S. Demircioglu M.A.
2026KeAi Publishing Communications Ltd.
International Journal of Innovation Studies
2026
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a catalyst for governments to break away from complacency and innovate at unprecedented speeds. By analyzing 15 cases of public sector innovation (PSI) in response to the pandemic, using the OECD Framework on Facets of Innovation across India, Singapore, and South Korea, we find that the crisis clearly pushed public sector organizations (PSOs) across Asia away from top-down and incremental approaches to PSI toward bottom-up and transformative approaches. We also find that countries adopt innovation facets differently based on their existing PSI capabilities, which we conceptualize as PSI maturity. Countries with less PSI maturity tend to innovate along the Reactive Axis, which extends between the Mission-oriented and Adaptive Innovation facets, whereas countries with higher PSI maturity tend to innovate along the Proactive Axis, which extends between the Enhancement-oriented and Anticipatory Innovation facets. We also find that collaboration and digitalization were key catalysts for PSI across all 15 cases studied. The article highlights limitations and areas for further research, and concludes with policy directions to help PSOs better equip themselves for future crises.
Asia , COVID-19 , Digital innovation , Government innovation , India , Innovation facets , Innovation typology , Public sector innovation , Singapore , South Korea
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Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore, Singapore
Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
School of Public Policy & Administration, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP)
Graduate School of Public Policy
School of Public Policy & Administration
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Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026