The significance of innovation in improving public value is evident in extensive literature (Bommert, 2010; Hartley, 2005; Damanpour, De Vries, Bekkers, & Tummers, 2015; Osborne & Brown 2011; Walker, 2014; Hartley, Sørensen & Torfing, 2013; Hofisi, 2018, Osborne & Brown, 2011; Sørensen & Torfing, 2011; Newman, Raine, & Skelcher, 2001; Walker & Avellaneda, 2009). It has been argued that innovation improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector in service delivery. Much of this literature focuses on the public sector in developed countries, which is the reason why this special issue focuses on South Africa. In addition to this, a plethora of service delivery protests in South Africa may be attributed to lack of innovation in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Local Government in service delivery, hence the need for focusing on novel approaches to service delivery.