Public participation in mission-oriented innovation projects

Mission-oriented innovation policy is currently gaining renewed interest as an approach for addressing societal challenges. One of the promises is that missions can mobilise and align diverse stakeholders around a shared goal. Recent literature underlines the importance of public participation (e.g. municipalities and civil society organisations) in the socioeconomic transformations required for attaining missions. We ask how public participation differs among (non-)mission-oriented innovation projects. Drawing on a database containing Dutch government-funded innovation projects, we investigate whether mission-oriented projects are associated with earlier, more open, and more influential forms of public participation than conventional projects. Although the results suggest that mission-oriented projects indeed correspond with earlier participation of more public actors, we find little evidence that they also coincide with increased diversity and financial influence of public partic-ipants. We conclude by discussing how policymakers and intermediaries may engage in strategies to make missions more inclusive.

Automated summary

Mission-oriented innovation policy has gained attention for addressing societal challenges and mobilizing stakeholders. Public participation is important for socio-economic transformations, and we investigate its differences in (non-)mission-oriented projects. Analyzing Dutch government-funded projects, we found earlier and more open public participation in mission-oriented projects, but limited evidence of increased diversity and financial influence. Strategies for making missions more inclusive are discussed for policymakers and intermediaries.