Looking ahead: how ”smart” can public administration get through social innovation?

Abstract

21st century public administration faces numerous challenges that make its activities difficult to organize and coordinate and be at the same time in synchronicity with the increasing needs of its citizens. The only way public administration can address these challenges has to be its will and vision to adapt to harsh conditions of environment and the pressure to perform better with less. In order to become more efficient, public administration has to get ahead these problems and become „smarter”. In an age when social innovation appears to be the response at hand, it seems equally easy for public administration to go forward by using it. The present article explores concepts such as „smart public administration”, „social innovation”, digitalization and „smart” public service. The methods of research used are the qualitative evaluation of various sources of specialized research and literature in the field.