PUBSIC2026

Innovation is often posed as a panacea for contemporary social and economic problems. However, the models of innovation that are offered have often drawn from private sector experience in an undifferentiated way that conflates the manufacturing of products with the delivery of services, and do not take into account the characteristics of public rather than private services.

Whilst public services can always learn from the private sector, their distinctive characteristics mean that you cannot simply transfer lessons from one sector to another. The PUBSIC Conference is therefore dedicated to evolving robust approaches to public service innovation (PSI) that will address the need for a distinctive ‘public service’ approach to PSI.

This 8th PUBSIC Conference takes as its theme the creation of value for citizens and society through PSI. Increasingly public administration and management theory and practice are looking to models of value creation adapted to the public service context

from the service management literature. This is a deliberate move away from dyadic models of interaction between public services and citizens and towards ecosystemic approaches that capture the complex and dynamic nature of public service delivery. This conference will explore what such value might comprise,

The 8th PUBSIC Conference will take place at Corvinus University in Budapest. Two-page abstracts are now invited for papers to be presented at the Conference. Papers can be from senior academics or early career researchers and doctoral students. They must address an identified issue for PSI and can be empirical, conceptual and/or theoretical papers. Systematic literature reviews are acceptable but only if they advance PSI theory, not simply describe the state of the field or present a research agenda.

Stephen Osborne, University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) – Honorary Chairperson

Salvatore Russo, Ca’ Foscari University Venice (Italy) – Chairperson

Tie Cui, University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

Marie Leandre Gomez, ESSEC(France)

Ricardo Gomes Fundação Getúlio Vargas (Brazil)

György Hajnal, Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary)

Ian Hodgkinson, Loughborough University (United Kindgom)

Albert Meijer, University of Utrecht (Netherlands)

Greta Nasi, Bocconi University (Italy)

Maria Rohnebak, University of Inland (Norway )

Paula Rossi, University of Tampere (Finland)

Jari Stenvall, University of Tampere (Finland)