Manuel Di Loreto is a graduate in Public Administration from Leiden University in the Netherlands. His research interests lie at the intersection of public administration, public policy, and comparative politics, with a focus on how innovation and smart governance practices reshape public organizations, affect their performance, and lead to broader societal, economic, and environmental outcomes. He is an expert in statistical programming and in both quantitative and qualitative methods. Kohei Suzuki is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Administration, Leiden University in the Netherlands, and holds the title of docent (Associate Professor) in Political Science at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Suzuki's research focuses on comparative public administration, examining bureaucratic structures, quality of government, and gender representation. His work has been published in leading journals. Suzuki has received the 2024 Midwest Political Science Association's (MPSA) Kenneth J. Meier Award for the best paper in bureaucratic politics, public administration, and public policy. He co-leads international research projects funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Dutch Research Council, investigating civil servants' professional norms and citizens' perceptions of good governance across multiple countries. Mehmet Akif Demircioglu is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University in Canada and is listed among the top 2% most-cited scientists globally (Stanford University & Elsevier). He is also an Executive Education Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (National University of Singapore), a Senior Fellow at the Smart Government Lab (University of St. Gallen), a joint researcher at The Institute for Future Government (Yonsei University), a research fellow at the Institute for Development Strategies (Indiana University), and a fellow at the Center for Organization Research and Design (Arizona State University). He is the Book Review Editor for Public Administration Review and an Associate Editor for Public Management Review, European Management Journal, Australian Journal of Public Administration, and International Journal of Public Administration. He has also co-authored a book with David Audretsch Public Sector Innovation (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

• .- 1. Introduction: Innovation in the context of demographic decline..- 2. Demographic Transition Theories and Innovation..- 3. Methodology and Research Design..- 4. Quantitative Analysis..- 5. Illustrative Case Study: the cases of Biella and Vercelli..- 6. General Discussion and Conclusion..- 7. Appendix.