Exploring barriers to innovation in public administration: an empirical study of the local layer of government

Abstract

This study deepens our knowledge on innovation barriers within Public Sector Innovation (PSI) processes in local governments. It analyzes the barriers to PSI from a mixed method approach using an original survey directed to innovation managers in the largest Spanish city councils and semi-structured interviews within a case study. This study shows the most relevant barriers to innovation in different stages of development, the strategies used to overcome these barriers and the relationships among them. This research contributes to PSI literature by shedding light on the barriers’ dynamics and how they operate in local governments within contexts of high levels of digitalization. Results suggest a significant prevalence of institutional barriers, more common in countries with a Napoleonic administrative tradition, and uncover the relevance of politics and human resource management foster innovation at the local level.