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The next MFF should institutionalise what mission governance has proven

The challenge for the next MFF is not to invent a new governance model, but to organise European decision-making around the governing capacity that already exists.


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Governments can steer with wellbeing at the core (but nobody said it was easy)

Governments keep promising change and then hitting the same walls with the old machinery. Reorienting governance around human wellbeing is both urgent and possible, and the work continues even when the political climate turns.


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Economic policy is no longer enough

Economic policy cannot be a replacement for good governance. In this part of human history, it is understanding what is at stake — profoundly human wishes for a dignified and meaningful life — that will have to shape all policy, including economic policy.


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A time to build – shaping the next generation of public institutions

We are pleased to announce that the UNDP’s Istanbul Innovation Days (IID), taking place in March 2025, will focus on shaping the next generation of public institutions for a secure and prosperous world.


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Stories of our Interns

Having integrated the internship programme into the community fabric 15 years ago, we at Demos Helsinki have attempted to refine it iteratively. Our goal is to create a welcoming and inspiring work environment for students at the early stage of their careers and impact-making journeys. We reached out to some interns to share their experiences, and below are their reflections.


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Demos Helsinki at COP28: Developing skills for the workforce of the future

What skills are essential for a transition to a net-zero world? How can governments and businesses go beyond anticipating a green transition and actually building one? What are truly “transformational green skills”?   Demos Helsinki will host a discussion at COP28 to explore these questions, inviting a cross-sectoral panel of…


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Missions – Advancing Strategic EU Priorities through Multilevel Action

Drawing on almost five years of Cities Mission implementation, Demos Helsinki and its partners from Dark Matter Labs and the Mission Board argue that mission governance has reached policy readiness. Its mechanisms have been tested, its governance infrastructure is in place, and it offers a transferable model for delivering on EU strategic priorities at scale.


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Towards more systemic crisis governance: lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in Finland

Finland managed the Covid-19 pandemic comparatively well. Yet the longer the crisis lasted, the more visible the limits of the governance system became. This brief examines what a prolonged crisis revealed about institutional strength, societal vulnerabilities, and the kind of governance future crises demand.


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Better is possible: why — and how — business leadership can be renewed

Decades of low growth in Finland may be a symptom of a weakened capacity for renewal inside organisations, including the country’s top businesses. In this report, we explore the role that Finnish companies play in the current growth environment and document what business leaders think should be done next. We conclude with key recommendations for boards and executive teams to create the conditions for a renewed purpose in business, one that fits the current Finnish context and reveals underused capacity for renewal.


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