Towards a minimal definition of policy innovation labs

Article by Moshe Maor: “This article tackles a fundamental challenge in the study of Policy Innovation Labs (PILs): the absence of a shared, analytically robust definition. Despite their growing prominence as institutional arrangements for addressing complex public problems through experimentation and co-creation, PILs have been defined inconsistently, leading to conceptual ambiguity and blurred boundaries with related initiatives such as living labs or behavioral insight units. The article begins by highlighting the consequences of this ambiguity, including difficulties in comparison, replication, and evaluation of PILs across different contexts. It then outlines a systematic methodology for collecting and analyzing 16 influential scholarly definitions of PILs, identifying recurring dimensions such as innovation orientation, design thinking, experimental approaches, and user-focused engagement. The analysis reveals that while innovation orientation is the most consistently emphasized attribute, other dimensions like user-centeredness and boundary-spanning functions are under-theorized despite their practical importance. Building on these findings, the article proposes a minimal definition of PILs as innovation-oriented entities that employ design-based, experimental, and/or other innovative methods to develop creative responses to complex public problems through systematic user and stakeholder engagement. This definition is designed to provide a clear analytical baseline for cumulative research, distinguishing PILs from adjacent organizational forms while accommodating their contextual diversity. The article also explores the analytical and empirical implications of adopting this definition, including its potential to enhance case selection, typology building, performance evaluation, and theory development in the study of public sector innovation. By clarifying the conceptual boundaries of PILs, this work contributes to a more rigorous and coherent research agenda, ensuring that the term retains its analytical utility and does not become a mere buzzword devoid of meaning…(More)”.