ABSTRACT
As for the analysis of the innovativeness of public engagement (PE) activity, this chapter concerns the following aspects: New ways of representation, methodological and institutional hybridity, focus on societal challenges, bearing on political impacts and other innovative tendencies in PE. Public authorities represent the public sector, whereas researchers and research institutions have traditionally come from both the public and private sectors. In the catalogue of innovative PE processes the authors divided the 38 cases into five methodological clusters: public communication, public consultation, public deliberation, public participation and public activism. Demonstrating that research and innovation activities are necessary to address societal challenges is also among the more powerful ways to legitimise public spending on European and national research programmes. Reflexivity and research orientation is in-built in the process of developing new methods and renewing related policy institutions. Programmatisation and institutionalisation also increase requests for financial and political accountability.
