The Architecture of Innovation: Institutionalizing Innovation in Federal Policymaking

"The Architecture of Innovation” provides recommendations for how government can embed innovation into federal policymaking to achieve scalable solutions and better serve the American public.

Produced by Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation and the Massive Data Institute at the McCourt School of Public Policy, this report offers a framework for how to structure innovation in policymaking. This report defines “innovation” as a means for creating a more effective government and improving services. A core assumption is that innovation requires a governance structure that can influence a change in culture. This report focuses on a few broad areas where government can design structural supports to enable a culture change: the potential of technology, the importance of data and partnerships to provide more effective and efficient services for society, and the creation of structural supports that enable adaptability to change. This report highlights best practices in cities and recommends approaches that the federal government can use to work with cities to learn from their efforts and to create more incentives for scalable policy solutions. “The Architecture of Innovation” provides a general overview of innovation efforts at the White House, and then offers recommendations with subsequent analyses in four key areas to help organize innovation in the next administration: (1) White House and Agencies; (2) Policy Innovation Offices and PublicPrivate Partnerships; (3) Cities as Incubators of Innovation; (4) Recruitment, Hiring, and Training. The report concludes with a summary of recommendations organized into three categories—structure, policy, and people. This report represents a synthesis of conversations with a broad, diverse group of bipartisan stakeholders and does not endorse a particular political point of view or ideology.