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Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance pp 1–5Cite as

Policy Innovation Labs

Synonyms

Policy sector innovation

Definition

Policy innovation labs (PILs) are a global response to the growing demand for public sector innovation and the development of policies addressing complex issues. PILs can be found within and outside of governments. They encourage the use of tools that facilitate experimental lab-like environments.

Introduction

Policy innovation labs (PILs) are a relatively new methodological approach by which governments are attempting to construct public policies that address complex collective problems. They are defined as approaches that adopt creative, design, or user-oriented perspectives. PILs are considered to be neutral organizations applying scientific, lab-like methods to generate innovative, evidence-based policy solutions to complex social problems, therefore considered to “represent islands of experimentation where the public sector can test and scale out public service innovations” (Tõnurist et al. 2017, 1432). Many PILs work for or within a...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA

    Adam M. Wellstead

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  1. Adam M. Wellstead
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Correspondence to Adam M. Wellstead .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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Wellstead, A.M. (2020). Policy Innovation Labs. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_4000-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_4000-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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