The OECD's Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) is launching in 2020 five reports over the course of the year, each focused on one of the innovative trends identified by OPSI and Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI).
1. Innovative COVID-19 Responses
To facilitate the global response to the pandemic, OPSI and its colleagues in the OECD Open and Innovative Government (OIG) division have issued a global Call for Innovative Government Responses to COVID-19 in order to gather innovative solutions being piloted by organisations responding to the crisis. Through research and analysis of the over 400 responses submitted by over 60 countries, OPSI and the MBRCGI have identified five key themes that are driving these public sector innovation efforts during the crisis: rapid acceleration of digital innovation and transformation; seeking bottom-up solutions and insights; social solidarity and caring; reducing the spread through virus tracking and adaptive action; and forging a path to recovery.
Research and analysis undertaken by OPSI and the MBRCGI reveal that the most innovative countries and cities are taking action to eliminate points of friction between governments and those that they serve. This approach enables them to re-imagine the ways in which governments can collaborate and consider future scenarios. Three key themes are driving efforts in this area: Invisible government, Matrixed government, and Anticipatory government.
The third trend in this series finds that governments are focusing on the overlooked by leveraging innovation to broaden their scope of action to specifically address the needs of segments of society that are at risk of falling through the cracks or otherwise need additional support to achieve equitable outcomes. Leading innovative efforts in this area cut across key multi-disciplinary agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which emphasise the importance of leaving no one behind and represent a collective responsibility and a shared vision for achieving collective objectives by 2030. The observed innovative efforts match three key themes: New opportunities for the often neglected, Bridging the urban-rural divide and Accessible and equitable service design.
4. Public Provider versus Big Brother
The fourth report in this year's Embracing Innovation in Government series with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation explores the powerful new technologies and opportunities that governments have at their disposal to let them better understand the needs of citizens. The research shows that governments must balance the tensions of using data harvesting and monitoring, and technologies that can identify individuals, to serve the public interest, with the inevitable concerns and legitimate fears about “big brother” and risks of infringing on freedoms and rights.
5. Upskilling and Investing in People
For the fifth and final report in this series, OPSI and MBRCGI explore how governments are upskilling and investing in people in innovative ways. Leading efforts in this area fall under two key themes: Investing in the public as a critical resource, and Upskilling the public service to unlock the potential of government.