Commentary
Public governance now: 5 point checklist for the 2018 civil servant
Governments around the world are muddling through the first decades of the 21st Century. People’s needs are diversifying, and addressing them is becoming increasingly challenging in the existing interconnected and complex systems. Multiplying wicked problems such as climate change, pandemics, poverty and social injustices further complicate public governance. At the…
Read MoreReframing the future of Finland – with newcomers
Cultural diversity is on the rise in Finland, but does the institutional landscape reflect that fact? Do the newcomers – migrants of different kinds – have access to the institutions? Does their presence shape the cultural narrative of this society? These are among the questions that we have recently tried…
Read MoreReport on the operation of a network-based circular economy in the city of Espoo
Cities have a big role to play in closing the climate change and sustainability gap. The utilization of materials and the efficiency of production can be increased by circular economy solutions, while simultaneously decreasing the burden laid on environment and waste management. In order to be successful, a circular economy…
Read MoreHow to Make Helsinki the World’s Best City with Help of Tactical Urbanism
Something has changed in our cities. People are moving to cities for their dynamic street life and elegant and personal services. At the same time we are building more and bigger units than ever. This creates a widening gap between large-scale developments and people’s willingness to mould their surroundings. Newly…
Read MoreWe need to talk about platforms
Platforms are not to be confused with traditional corporations. They are much more. Here’s three reasons why: 1. Platforms are a new, unforeseen and strong user of power Platforms that aggregate people’s needs, physical assets and labour. Companies such as Amazon, Etsy, Facebook, Google, Salesforce, and Uber are creating online…
Read MoreThe NextEra Tokyo: A New Vision for Societal Progress
How do we build hope and trust in the future when we cannot count on one of the key promises of developed societies: the promise that the economy will grow and make the lives of people better? When such a fundamental premise upon which societies are built is questioned, how…
Read MoreBuilding Zero Waste Society
Imagine the world without over-consumption and waste? How can we make it happen? Where to start? Building Zero Waste Society project aims to educate local zero waste initiatives, community activists, civic society groups, municipalities and wider society about impact of consumption on the environment and people. We seek to empower…
Read MoreWorld’s Best Cities
To learn from the best, to improve one’s own nest and to think about the rest. This is what happens to the Finnish urban professionals when joining the one-week excursion to Portland, Oregon. The Finnish Urbanism Foundation (Urbanismisäätiö) invites biannually a number of Finnish urban strategists, planners, developers and thinkers…
Read MoreWhy IoT leads to the platform economy?
1. There is nothing new about platforms An emergence of digital platform economy is driving fundamental changes in our societies. But there is nothing new about platforms. Platform refers to a product, technology or organization that enable direct interactions between two (or more) distinct actors. For example most General…
Read MoreWhen changes run faster than plans – the OECD highlighted 4 ways how governments can cope with complexity
The OECD organized a conference for initiating an international dialogue between the best practices that aim to renew public sector functions. Demos Helsinki was invited to the OECD’s headquarters in Paris to present the Finnish approach to experimental policy making. The Finnish model was listed as one of the top…
Read MoreThe Next Era: what is the future of the nordic model?
How do we guarantee well-being for everyone, if the only thing we know for sure is that everything will change? What is it about? Sitra and Demos Helsinki have launched The Next Era, work to create a vision aimed at a reform of the Nordic model, i.e. the next era…
Read MoreMargarine, biohabitat bank, space poop – and few other reasons why you should follow challenge prize competitions in Finland
The celebration of the 100th anniversary of Finnish independence will start in a matter of weeks. Besides festivities, cocktail parties and memorable speeches, next year will go down in history as the year when challenge prizes came to Finland. Challenge prize competitions, also known as challenge prizes, are open innovation…
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