ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests a broader understanding for the study of innovation in modern bureaucracies and to point to some empirical efforts that may accelerate post public-managerial reforms. It analyzes current trends in New public management (NPM) thinking in an attempt to pinpoint where new frontiers in this realm may arise. The chapter argues that a more solid, systematic and empirically oriented understanding of innovation can be used to reform the governmental structures and administrative processes, revitalize modern bureaucracies, communities, and societies. The chapter deals with the evolution of the fuzzy concept of innovation as a major theme in public administration theory. It examines two ways in which the concept of innovation may prove valuable for the discipline. Firstly, It posited a comprehensive system-based model for the study of innovation. Secondly, It tries to integrate this model into a dynamic managerial and post-managerial era, stressing the major roles of governments and citizens alike.
