Topic

Public governance

Commentary

Foresight enables to prepare for crises but also look beyond them

The corona crisis has rapidly changed the way we look to the future. The National Foresight 2020 project mapped how should the Finnish foresight system be developed in order to meet the challenges of the 2020s. 

Time to Discuss Cities’ Role in Global Agenda-Setting, Seriously

By strengthening city networks from peer-learning platforms into capable changemakers, we can have a truly global impact on the wicked problems of our day.

What do we talk about when we talk about strategic foresight

To make it simple, the role of strategic foresight should be as the informant, the source of knowledge, the basis for strategic planning and decision-making. After all, without incorporating any foresight to your decision-making, you will be making decisions that are only based on current conditions and as we all…

Public sector platforms: a promising way forward for societies

Less than 1% of workers are working in digital platforms, so why we talk so much about them? Because platforms illustrate the democratising impact of the change of work to the society and show the way forward towards a more inclusive, efficient society.   Indeed, the discussion surrounding skills and…

Fight against corruption starts from communities, not from best practices

This week I took part in event in Berlin. The event was about conceptualizing a new operational model for a Norwegian anti-corruption lab U4. Something very interesting seems to be cooking in the field of anti-corruption. Anti-corruption field is struggling, as research shows that despite efforts, global corruption has not considerably…

Only 4 in 10 citizens trust the government

Eroding trust in governments and the recent struggles of democracies dominated the discussions on the first few days of the World Government Summit 2018. We believe that over the next 5 years the world will witness the mainstreaming of several new ways of enabling inclusion, engagement and participation between people…

Publications

Generative Shared Intelligence: A direction for governments in the uncertain environment of the late 2020s

The notion of a “polycrisis” has become a defining feature of contemporary governance, and traditional administrative methods are increasingly inadequate. In this publication, Professor Sir Geoff Mulgan’s concept of “Generative Shared Intelligence” offers a model for addressing multidimensional problems in governance, emphasising the need for more flexible and collaborative structures designed for the sole purpose of sharing intelligence.

Report: Towards experimentalist R&I funding

Experimentalism is a ‘hidden third option’ that overcomes pre-existing dichotomies and can update the governance of R&I funding while steering it towards societal transformation.

A new ethos for the civil service

What are the most appropriate institutional arrangements for effective governance? How can governance systems effectively operate across different levels, such as local, regional, national, and supranational? How can governments improve their capacity to evaluate policies, learn from successes and failures, and adapt to changing circumstances? By transforming the civil service, we can answer these questions.

Projects

Circular Economy Green Deal – a steering instrument for collective action towards circularity

The Circular Economy Green Deal is a novel Finnish steering instrument that catalyses collective action for systemic change towards circularity based on voluntary commitments. Demos Helsinki had the honour of leading the co-creative process that led to the creation of the Circular Economy Green Deal.

KT4D: Fostering democracy through knowledge technologies

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems can undermine democracy via the cultural disruptions they create, the power dynamics they shift, their tendency toward opacity, and the speed at which they change. The KT4D project investigates how democracy and civic participation can be facilitated in an era of rapidly changing knowledge technologies — such as AI and big data, thereby mitigating the risks of such technologies and identifying how they can be used to reinforce democratic governance and trust in public institutions.

Sustainability Governance in the City of Tallinn

Demos Helsinki and the City of Tallinn, the European Green Capital 2023, joined forces to create an innovative approach to sustainability governance in cities. Together, we embarked on a journey to develop the concept of sustainability governance, aware that cities could hold the key to fostering sustainable transformation and have…

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