Studies in Public Service Administration

Identifying Challenges and Solutions for Realizing Public Sector Innovation in Iran within the Framework of the Seventh Development Plan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

heidar Najafi Rastaghi 1
mohammad mahdi zolfagharzadeh
aliasghar Pourezzat 2

1 PhD student in Public Administration, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, School of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Tehran University

https://doi.org/10.22054/spsa.2025.89101.1077
Abstract
Public sector innovation serves as a driver of transformation, improving the performance of public administration and governance, and playing a decisive role in addressing complex societal needs and enhancing the quality of public services. This research aims to identify the challenges and solutions for realizing public sector innovation in Iran within the framework of the Seventh Development Plan, based on the fourfold OECD model. Accordingly, using thematic analysis, the most significant challenges and solutions for achieving public sector innovation have been identified across four types: mission-oriented innovation, capability-driven innovation, adaptive innovation, and anticipatory innovation were extracted from the thematic analysis of the Seventh Development Plan Law of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the opinions of 15 experts in this field.. The research findings indicate that the Seventh Development Plan, through its comprehensive innovation framework, has significant potential to transform public governance. However, realizing this potential depends on the coordinated and systematic implementation of all components of this framework. In this regard, the most critical policy recommendations include regulatory measures and coordination among innovation-related institutions; establishing a national data governance system in the field of innovation; developing a public-private partnership governance framework with transparent mechanisms and equitable benefit-sharing in innovation; implementing an impact assessment system for innovation policies; and creating a local innovation governance network with a regional approach.
  1. Ackoff, R. L., & Addison, H. J. (2006). Idealized design: How to dissolve tomorrow's crisis...today. Wharton School Publishing.
  2. Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571.
  3. Ansell, C., Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2021). Public policy design: From tools to patches. Policy & Politics, 49(2), 211–230. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557321X16123785800030
  4. Bason, C., & Schneider, A. (2021). Designing for public policy: Radical innovation in uncertain times. Public Administration.
  5. Bloch, C. (2011). Measuring public innovation in the Nordic countries: Final report. Nordic Innovation Centre.
  6. Bommert, B. (2010). Collaborative innovation in the public sector. International Public Management Review, 11(1), 15–33.
  7. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
  8. Brown, L., & Osborne, S. P. (2013). Risk and innovation: Towards a framework for risk governance in public services. Public Management Review, 15(2), 186-208.
  9. Chesbrough, H. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business Press.
  10. Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator's dilemma: When new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business Review Press.
  11. Cinar, E., Trott, P., & Simms, C. (2019). A systematic review of barriers to public sector innovation and potential ways to overcome them. European Journal of Innovation Management, 22(3), 491-522.
  12. De Vries, H., Bekkers, V., & Tummers, L. (2016). Innovation in the public sector: A systematic review and future research agenda. Public Administration, 94(1), 146–166.
  13. Demircioglu, M. A., & Audretsch, D. B. (2019). The innovation gap in public sector: Evidence from Europe. Public Policy and Administration, 34(1), 3-24.
  14. Dunleavy, P., & Margetts, H. (2015). Designing digital government for the twenty-first century. In J. L. Perry & R. K. Christensen (Eds.) , Handbook of public administration(3rd ed., pp. 519–536). Jossey-Bass.
  15. Hartley, J., Sorensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2013). Collaborative innovation: A viable alternative to market competition and organizational entrepreneurship. Public Administration Review, 73(6), 821-830.
  16. Head, B. W. (2008). Three lenses of evidence-based policy. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 67(1), 1–11.
  17. Hood, C. (1991). A public management for all seasons? Public Administration, 69(1), 3–19.
  18. Janowski, T. (2015). Digital government evolution: From transformation to contextualization. Government Information Quarterly, 32(3), 221–236.
  19. Lee, S. M., Hwang, T., & Choi, D. (2012). Open innovation in the public sector of leading countries. Management Decision, 50(1), 147-162.
  20. Meijer, A. (2015). Public innovation and the performance of public services: A systematic review. Public Management Review, 17(9), 1333-1356.
  21. Meijer, A., & Bolívar, M. P. R. (2016). Governing the smart city: a review of the literature on smart urban governance. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(2), 392–408.
  22. Mergel, I. (2019). Digital service teams in government. Government Information Quarterly, 36(4), 101401.
  23. Mergel, I., Gong, Y., & Bertot, J. (2018). Agile government: Systematic literature review and future research. Government Information Quarterly, 35(2), 291–298.
  24. Moore, M. H. (2013). Recognizing public value. Harvard University Press.
  25. Mulgan, G. (2006). The process of social innovation. Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, 1(2), 145–162.
  26. (2017). Fostering innovation in the public sector. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264270879-en
  27. (2019). The innovation system of the public sector. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264310665-en
  28. OECD (2020), “The public sector innovation lifecycle: A device to assist teams and organisations in developing a more sophisticated approach to public sector innovation”, OECD Working Papers on Public Governance, No. 37, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/0d1bf7e7-en.
  29. Osborne, S. P., Radnor, Z., & Nasi, G. (2013). A new theory for public service management? Toward a (public) service-dominant approach. The American Review of Public Administration, 43(2), 135–158.
  30. Perez, C. C., de Paz, J. V., & Hernandez, R. S. (2020). Public sector innovation ecosystems: The role of intermediaries. Sustainability, 12(15), 6050.
  31. Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations(5th ed.). Free Press.
  32. Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2011). Enhancing collaborative innovation in the public sector. Administration & Society, 43(8), 842–868.
  33. Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2022). Collaborative innovation in the public sector. Georgetown University Press.
  34. Tönurist, P., Kattel, R., & Lember, V. (2017). Innovation labs in the public sector: What they are and what they do? Public Management Review, 19(10), 1455-1479.
  35. Torfing, J. (2019). Collaborative innovation in the public sector: The argument. Public Management Review, 21(1), 1-11.
  36. Torfing, J., & Triantafillou, P. (2016). Enhancing public innovation by transforming public governance. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316105337
  37. Voorberg, W. H., Bekkers, V. J. J. M., & Tummers, L. G. (2015). A systematic review of co-creation and co-production: Embarking on the social innovation journey. Public Management Review, 17(9), 1333–1357.
  38. Walker, R. M., Berry, F. S., & Avellaneda, C. N. (2019). Public sector innovation and networking: Evidence from local governments. Public Administration, 97(2), 317-332.
  39. Abdolhosseinzadeh,M. and Abdolhamid,M. (2023). Identification and classification of social co-innovation tools and mechanisms in the public sector. Innovation Management Journal, 11(4), 1-22. [In Persian]
  40. Rostami, F. , Najafi Rastaghi, H. and Darvishvand, A. (2024). A Comparative Study of Global Experiences of Open Innovation in the Public Sector and Offering Recommendations for the Iranian Public Management and Governance System. Studies in Public Service Administration, 2(4), 181-216. doi: 10.22054/spsa.2025.83965.1055[In Persian]
Studies in Public Service Administration
Volume 2, Issue 6
Autumn 2025
Pages 63-94

  • Receive Date 25 October 2025
  • Revise Date 01 November 2025
  • Accept Date 04 November 2025

Home

Editorial Boards

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us

Article Processing Charges