IIPP and OECD partner to rethink and drive innovation in the public sector

The UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sunday 10 February 2019 to work more closely together to rethink and drive innovation in the public sector.

IIPP will work in close partnership with OECD’s Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) on shared goals of developing dynamic capabilities for mission-oriented public organisations, driving mission-oriented innovations and delivering public value-driven policy toolkits.

One of the focal points of the co-operation will be IIPP’s Mission-Oriented Innovation Network (MOIN). The network brings together more than 30 leading global policy-making institutions—including state investment banks, innovation agencies and strategic/sectoral units setting the strategic direction of governments, as well as private organisations interested in public purpose—to share the challenges and opportunities they face when trying to create and nurture public value.

Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Director of IIPP says:

"IIPP challenges people to imagine a new role for the public sector as an ambitious and entrepreneurial partner with the private sector. We are thrilled to be working with the OECD who share this vision and the belief that public organisations should not only fix markets, but actively co-create and shape them.”

Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary-General, says:

"Joining the forces of the OECD and IIPP can create real synergies and help governments take the next step. We look forward to further strengthening our fast-growing and mutually beneficial co-operation. So that together, we can create tools and methods for policymakers that deliver a more inclusive and sustainable public value.”

Professor Rainer Kattel, Deputy Director of IIPP, says:

"Innovation in the public sector is too often seen through the prism of efficiency gains: getting more for less. However, at a time when so many fundamentals of the public sector are challenged—through ideology of austerity and transformational technological change—efficiency is a poor guide for innovations. Together with the OECD, we can create a new framework for public sector organisations to shape markets towards sustainability and rethink public services towards being inclusive.”

The MOU was signed on Sunday 10 February at the World Government Summit in Dubai by IIPP Director Professor Mariana Mazzucato and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria. Professor Mazzucato also took part in a panel discussion at the summit entitled “Transforming the Future: Creating value through government innovation”.

Further reading and viewing: 

• More than GDP, a panel at the World Economic Forum (Davos) discussion featuring Prime Minister of New Zealand, Professor Mazzucato and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria
• Bring new perspectives to the OECD – The coffees of the General Secretary: Mariana Mazzucato 
• Elements for a New Growth Narrative, a report by OECD advisory group A New Growth Narrative