Innovation in public policy is a rapidly expanding field, highlighting its critical role in addressing complex societal challenges. This bibliometric review (n = 17,264) synthesizes over 50 years of scholarship, systematically identifying key gaps, including conceptual fragmentation, limited theoretical engagement, methodological conservatism, and geographic and sectoral imbalance, and underutilization of the comparative perspective. These challenges constrain the field’s ability to address pressing global issues such as climate change adaptation, digital transformation, economic inequality, and the energy transition. This study proposes a comprehensive research agenda to bridge these gaps and move the field from niches toward more inclusive, integrative, and rigorous mainstream scholarship.

This editorial marks the relaunch of the Policy Innovation section of this journal, responding to the urgent need for innovative public policy amid global challenges such as climate change, economic inequality, and technological disruption. It reflects on the journal’s pivotal contributions to the subject and underscores the importance of comparative analysis in driving policy innovation. The section invites submissions that push theoretical and methodological boundaries, expand research into underexplored geographies and domains, and tackle the implications of policy innovation for equity, fairness, and justice. By broadening the scope of policy innovation, the journal aims to inspire cutting-edge, rigorous, and actionable research.