Public Sector Innovation and Management

New technologies are changing the way that public sector organizations operate, creating opportunities to improve efficiency, transparency, and impact. However, they also present challenges in assessing which technologies are a good fit, balancing the risks and rewards of innovation, and facilitating organizational change that is necessary to embrace new technologies. There is an increased need for public sector managers who can identify opportunities created through new technology and manage the process of change.

The technological innovations brought on by the changes of the “Second Machine Age” can transform the role of government and quasi-governmental organizations, who serve as both consumers and regulators of the innovation market.

There is an increased need for public sector managers who can bridge the cultural differences between traditional government sectors and the innovative private sector. Coursework in this program of study will equip students to manage new facets of public service delivery that result from the tensions between these sectors.

Coursework in this area of study equips students to manage new facets of public service delivery. Skills developed include effectively managing the information channels within organizations, using data to create transparency and improve performance, evaluating the technology acquisition and implementation process within public and private sector organizations, promoting open government, harnessing technology development for public benefit, and understanding the challenges that new technologies have for citizen privacy, among others. This coursework will allow students to meet the management challenges that public organizations face as a result of changes in technology and service delivery.

Students pursuing this program of study framework will work in agencies primarily concerned with technical and information issues, such as state energy offices, NASA, Department of Defense, consulting firms, or environmental agencies.

Many work in positions requiring technical knowledge, such as technology transfer and export control agents at federal departments such as State, Commerce and Defense, decision support staff, or technical policy analysts. This grounding in technology and information policy is useful at all levels of government and in high demand in the private and not-for-profit sectors.

Faculty

• W. Henry Lambright
• Johannes Himmelreich
• Sean O’Keefe, University Professor
• Keli Perrin
• David Popp
• Peter Wilcoxen
• Matt Young

Course Offerings

In addition to the courses listed below, students should consider additional coursework from within the Syracuse University College of Engineering, School of Information Studies, and the Whitman School of Management, as well as the SUNY-ESF.

PAIA Courses

• Data Driven Decision Making
  
• Economics of Environmental Policy
  
• Public Management of Technological Development
  
• Science, Technology & Public Policy
  
• Technological Innovation in the Public Sector

Non-PAIA Courses

• Corporate Entrepreneurship
  
• Cyber Security Law & Policy
  
• Data Mining
  
• e-Government
  
• Foundations of Entrepreneurship
  
• Geographic Information Systems
  
• Information Policy
  
• Information Security Policy
  
• Introduction to Data Science
  
• Technology Transactions Law
• What’s the Big Idea: Technology Innovation

Alumni Careers

Visit the Palmer Center for Career Development's Career Field Guides for more information about Careers in Public Sector Innovation and related fields. 

Federal Government

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Government Accountability Office

State & Local Government

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
New York State Senate Fellows Program

Private Sector

Booz, Allen, Hamilton
Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation
Kanzai Electric Company
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Northrup Grumman Corporation
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Project Performance Corporation