Intellectual capital in the public sector

Abstract

The Intellectual Capital theory emerged mainly from analyses and observations in business sector based on the growing importance of intellectual capital as a production factor and on its contribution to create value and competitive advantages. The importance of managing intellectual capital is also recognized in public organizations although the theory reveals differences in application to the public sector and is less developed in this environment. In fact, most methodologies to manage intellectual capital were developed in the business area and research at public sector level did not verify the same attention. In literature it is possible to realize that although there are some studies that analyse the management of intellectual capital in the public sector, there are few studies that suggest methodologies specific to this sector. Thus, this article aims to discuss the main aspects about the applicability of intellectual capital theory to the public sector and to propose a taxonomy of intangible assets appropriate to this sector through critical review of main contributions of literature. The analysis allowed finding several arguments that justify the application of the theory to public sector. It also allowed suggesting a classification of intellectual capital based on the intangible assets considered relevant to public sector namely the set of the followed categories: Human capital, Structural capital, Relational capital, Services capital and Public Commitment capital.