Abstract
In the last few years, the public sector has witnessed the creation of public or semi-public agencies designed to act as laboratories or as promoters of innovation. These “public policy labs” aim at being at the top with creative methods inspired by designs used in the digital world. This article looks at the rationale behind the creation of these agencies. It analyses ten organisations active in the public sector and that were created between 1998 and 2014. It concludes that these agencies clearly answer to internal needs of the public sector, whether on the managerial level or on issues pertaining to the legitimacy of public action.