Between Hierarchy and Informality: Innovation Barriers and Catalysts—The Case of Gender-Sensitive Public Transportation in Local Authorities

Abstract

Innovation is necessary yet challenging for local governments. This paper focuses on gender sensitivity in public transportation in major cities in Israel, as an example of organizational innovation, with the goal of identifying the factors that impede innovation in local government and the factors that may encourage such innovation. Studies have shown that for social, economic, and psychological reasons, women use public transportation differently than men do. However, decision-makers have not tended to integrate gender considerations into the planning and design of public spaces. This exacerbates social inequality. Data were collected from semi-structured, in-depth interviews that were conducted with 30 stakeholders in public and private organizations and focus-group discussions, which involved 40 participants (70 participants in total). The interviews and focus-group discussions revealed a complex system of organizational, management-related, and bureaucratic barriers that impede or completely prevent innovation in the field of public transportation. They also revealed a variety of factors that encourage innovation, including the local authorities perceiving themselves as responsible for promoting public transportation that meets the public’s needs, informal organizational structures, and intra-organizational initiatives that contribute to the implementation of gender-sensitive policies in the field of public transportation.