Posts by Angeliki Vourdakis
DLT in public sector: Moving from transparency to accountability
Decentralized Ledger Technologies (DLT) hold a tentative promise for positive public sector transformation. They could improve capabilities to deliver services and answer societal challenges, and thus, increase societal trust. To turn promise into reality, Demos Helsinki is contributing to an EU-funded project called TOKEN. How can Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs)…
Read MoreThe future does not exist
The world is full of chance, chaos, and things we don’t have a tested solution for. As such, companies try to eliminate uncertainty by either using data to predict trends or employing complex forecasting methods. Yet, neither of these models has any relevance unless we devote some time to thinking…
Read MoreWe need less data, more conversation
When trying to measure and predict human behavior, data must be enriched with ideas and emotions. The case of COVID-19 showed the limits of quantitative methods, as expert echo chambers were unable to translate the data into conversations that could ultimately lead to action. By Angeliki Vourdaki
Read MoreFour blockchain experiments to transform the public sector
Blockchain-based currencies were designed to be independent of public monetary institutions or states. Meanwhile, public organizations are investing a lot in utilizing blockchain-based technologies. Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is believed to have the potential to allow public services to improve effectiveness, reduce friction between agencies, reduce bureaucratic barriers, boost public engagement,…
Read MoreRethinking the social contract in the post-pandemic world
What tensions shake the foundations of our social contract, and how do we renew it? The Covid-19 crisis has revealed the desire, need, and capacity for change in the general public and governments. In the past, the social contract has allowed us to translate tensions into opportunities around which we…
Read MoreAI governance to avoid bias and discrimination
Artificial intelligence (AI) can enable great societal benefits by allowing for more efficient and personalized services. Indeed, automated decision-making systems based on machine learning algorithms are increasingly utilized in essential public or private services like recruitment, education, finance, health care, advertising, and policing. However, this can also give rise to…
Read MoreFinnish education system: a success story rooted in humility
The Finnish education system is widely acknowledged as one of the best in the world. It has been studied and celebrated by filmmakers, journalists, researchers, educators, and policymakers. Finnish students have been front-runners in every PISA test since 2000. Ninety-three per cent of Finns graduate from university or At the…
Read MoreKuntien hiilineutraaliustavoitteet seisovat tai kaatuvat infrastruktuurin päästövaikutusten mukana
Kesän kuntavaalit käydään poikkeuksellisissa merkeissä pandemian keskellä. Vaalikeskustelua hallitsevat tavallistakin enemmän kuntatalouden näkymät ja kuntapalvelut. Kun politiikassa keskitytään taistelemaan siitä, kuka saa ja kenelle annetaan, pari tärkeää näkökulmaa saattaa jäädä helposti huomiotta, yhtenä niistä rakennettuun ympäristöön ja infrastruktuuriin liittyvät kysymykset.
Read MoreLisää joustavuutta ja tarpeiden huomiointia maahanmuuttajien koulutus- ja työllisyyspoluille
Maahanmuuttajien koulutus- ja työpolut tarvitsevat lisää joustavuutta. Niiden on otettava paremmin huomioon eri asiakasryhmien tarpeet, vahvistettava asiakkaiden toimijuutta ja kartoitettava systemaattisemmin heidän osaamistaan, toteaa Kuntoutussäätion, Demos Helsingin, Helsingin yliopiston, Oxford Researchin ja Siirtolaisuusinstituutin Maahanmuuttajien koulutus- ja työllisyyspolut-tutkimus.
Read MoreWebinar: Wise Societies — A call for Wisdom in the post-pandemic world
We have gathered the data, we need to cultivate the wisdom. Can societies be wise? Experiences of the pandemic — both why it happened and how it was handled — ring alarm bells for many of us. Judging by today’s standards, societies are far from wise. Individuals hold this trait…
Read MoreNext Stop: Make transportation work for people
It’s 2021. The transportation sector needs to pay attention to one of the elephants in the room of our times: equality and how power imbalances became embedded in cities and regions’ transit services. One of the tangible consequences of the status quo is the upholding of invisible barriers that hold…
Read MoreThe Economy of Wellbeing – a new narrative
What would life be like if instead of GDP, we measured how many girls ride their bikes to school every day? If politicians, in the face of elections, promised to slow down biodiversity loss and reduce the number of people sleeping on the streets instead of promising economic growth? If…
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