The manifest Governing Governance: A Liberal-Democratic View on Governance by Relationships, Bureaucracies and Markets in the 21st Century aims to please a wide range of audiences. Yet in trying to do so it does not seem to please any. The manifest may be applauded for its clear and concise discussion of the complicated concept of governance. Yet, it falls short in being a truly engaging text as it is somewhat outdated, it lacks interaction with the wider world beyond the Netherlands (and Belgium), and it is too optimistic in terms of what may be achieved through collaborative or new governance and deliberative democracy. All this may very well explain why the manifest has, as of yet, not received a great deal of attention.

Innovation is a popular theme in society as well as in public administration. This essay focuses on innovations that take place within the realm of the public sector. How can these innovations be developed and what do we know about their adoption and diffusion? Is it possible to steer these innovations and if so, how can it be done? Based on analyses of recent scientific insights, Bekkers, Edelenbos and Steijn (2011) plea for an incremental adaptive evolutionary public innovation strategy. Within the framework of such a strategy, innovation has to be directed towards increasing the connective capacity within government. Also, the specific, political character of the public sector as the context of innovation has to be acknowledged. Furthermore, it is also important to find a balance between the logic of consequentiality and the logic of appropriateness. Based on dissertations by Huijboom (2010), Korteland (2011) and Oosterbaan (2012) the meaning of this evolutionary strategy for public sector organizations is explored.