Performance and Innovation in the Public Sector of the European Union Countries. An Analysis Based on the Dynamics of Perceptions, 2009-2016

Based on empirical perception data, the present paper introduces a new approach in government performance assessment in rela­tion to public innovation capacity and quality of public services. Innovation in the public sector has reached a high level of priority on the public agenda of the EU, while the interest of academ­ics in this topic has steadily increased over the last decade. However, a fundamental theory on this issue is missing, and only a limited amount of research offers an in-depth analysis of the correlations between innovation and different components associated with government effec­tiveness. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature, by developing an index of government performance for assessing the ability of EU mem­ber-state governments to adopt a strategic vision on innovation and to provide good-quality public services. In addition, the dynamics in the inter­dependencies between the innovation capacity and various drivers of government performance was highlighted, as well as the convergence/di­vergence trends between Member States. The empirical research in this paper identifies the EU states which may be considered as examples of good practices in adopting an innovative per­spective on public administrations, as well as in proposing specific policy recommendations that could foster decision-making processes related to innovation in the public sector.