Johnston and Fenwick have produced an innovative and impressive work on public sector innovation. Crafted would perhaps be a better word than produced, in that the work is ambitious and scholarly. It is also well written, being clear and concise, eschewing jargon, even when addressing complex issues. The book places innovation into its proper context; theory, history, dynamics, institutions, and barriers to innovation. It also explores the contemporary understanding of these things in terms of equality, inclusion, sustainability, and possible harms as a result of innovation since in drawing on the work of Hartley, the authors point out in order to innovate, organisations must change something and not all change is always good. Johnston and Fenwick draw on a range of theories and compare and contrast different levels of public sector innovation from a wide range of countries; an impressive piece of work of relevance to a range of disciplines.
Andrew Massey, Professor Emeritus of Government, Kings College, London, UK
