The use of the open innovation paradigm in the public sector: a systematic review of published studies

The use of the open innovation paradigm has been, over the past years, getting special attention in the public sector. Motivated by an urban environment that is increasingly more complex and challenging, several government agencies have been allocating financial resources and efforts to promote open and participative government initiatives. As a way to try and understand this scenario, a systematic review of the literature was conducted, to provide a comprehensive analysis of the scientific papers that were published, seeking to capture, classify, evaluate and synthesize how the use of this paradigm has been put into practice in the public sector. In total, 4,741 preliminary studies were analyzed. From this number, only 37 articles were classified as potentially relevant and moved forward, going through the process of data extraction and analysis. From the data obtained, it was possible to verify that the use of this paradigm started to be reported with a higher frequency in the literature since 2013 and, among the main findings, we highlight the reports of experiences, approach propositions, of understanding how the phenomenon occurs and theoretical reflections. It was also possible to verify that the use of open innovation through social media was one of the pioneer techniques of engagement between the public sector and citizens. In conclusion, the reports confirm that the main challenges of this paradigm applied to the public sector are associated with their respective bureaucratic aspects, therefore lacking a bigger reflection on the procedures and methods to be used in the public sphere.