Mission critical: The ends, means, and design of innovation agencies

Abstract

How should governments design public innovation agencies to accommodate the challenges of rapid technological and economic change? In this article, we argue that innovation agencies can approach innovation in very different ways. We develop a typology of innovation agencies, using eight agencies from around the world to identify distinctive patterns of learning, adjustment, and experimentation. In doing so, we demonstrate that the effective design of innovation agencies depends heavily on their mission and the specific ends they seek to pursue.