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.