This book examines policy innovation in highly hierarchical societies, particularly in Asia. Drawing on an insightful case study from Thailand, it assesses how policy innovations come to be cultivated at the sub-national level of a centralised government. In particular, the book assesses the role of policy innovation cultivators in the policymaking process, including the constraints placed upon them and the tactics they employ to overcome them. Whilst this topic has received much attention from scholars in democratic societies, far less studies have examined the role of policy innovation cultivators in Asia and the Global South, where countries are often governed by hierarchical, semi-autocratic governments. The book therefore offers important insights into how the role of these cultivators differs in different parts of the world, depending on the political context, administrative system, and socio-cultural setting in which they operate. It also highlights the need for culturally sensitive approaches to studying policy innovation, tracing a journey through generative policy ecosystems. It will appeal to all those interested in public policy, public administration and governance, as well as politics in Asia and the Global South.

Pobsook Chamchong is Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.