New frontiers in the use of intellectual capital in the public sector
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the articles presented in this special issue. The Special Issue is inspired by our recent review of the intellectual capital (IC) literature in Guthrie et al. (2012, p. 74), in which the authors found that the public sector is one of the least addressed areas of IC research.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a literature and published document review, experiential reflections and argument.
Findings
The paper reveals that interest in public sector and IC is alive and well and the major difference between public sector and mainstream IC research is a complete lack of normative research. The papers in this Journal of Intellectual Capital (JIC) Special Issue continue that tradition.
Research limitations/implications
The authors call on public sector IC researchers to continue the third stage and fourth stage IC research tradition encouraging them to explore emerging issues alongside the changes in the social, political and economic realities impacting public sector IC in the future. Doing so will ensure that public sector IC research is timely, relevant, impactful and contributes to future practice, research, policy and above all, benefits the citizens who need and consume public services.
Originality/value
The paper presents a précise of current public sector research and encourages public sector researchers to continue developing research into how IC works.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The Guest Editors are very grateful to the authors and the referees who contributed to this Special Issue, helping raise important and robust insights into this important research area. The Guest Editors are also very grateful to Rory Chase, who encouraged the Special Issue and dealt with this paper editorially, as well as the two referees of this paper for their valuable insights and comments. Thanks are due to Fiona Crawford and Sara Haddad from the Editorial Collective for their outstanding effort in editing and project management to bring this special issue to fruition. Finally, the authors are deeply indebted to Julz Stevens, Macquarie University and Knowledge Research, for her oversight and research support.
Citation
Guthrie, J. and Dumay, J. (2015), "New frontiers in the use of intellectual capital in the public sector", Journal of Intellectual Capital, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 258-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-02-2015-0017
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited