Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management Within the Public Sector. A Systematic Literature Review and Future Developments

Abstract: This research aims to investigate the state of the art of Knowledge Management (KM) and Intellectual Capital (IC) within the public sector. It systematically reviews the contributions published in the leading journals in the research fields of KM, IC and public sector management. In order to assess the depth and breadth of the theoretical debate, prior research is segmented along several lines. The findings highlight that, despite growing attention, the number of studies is still limited, and several geographical clusters have received only minimal attention. Studies on KM focus on Governmental agencies, universities and military organizations, while IC does not seem to have caught the scholars' interest. An analysis of main dependent and independent variables used in prior research is also provided. On this basis, the reasons to consider KM managerial perspective as a valuable way to improve public sector and the most promising areas for further research are discussed.

This research aims to investigate the state of the art of Knowledge Management (KM) and Intellectual Capital (IC) within the public sector. It systematically reviews the contributions published in the leading journals in the research fields of KM, IC and public sector management. In order to assess the depth and breadth of the theoretical debate, prior research is segmented along several lines. The findings highlight that, despite growing attention, the number of studies is still limited, and several geographical clusters have received only minimal attention. Studies on KM focus on Governmental agencies, universities and military organizations, while IC does not seem to have caught the scholars' interest. An analysis of main dependent and independent variables used in prior research is also provided. On this basis, the reasons to consider KM managerial perspective as a valuable way to improve public sector and the most promising areas for further research are discussed.