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UK Supreme Court ruling set to boost pensions for 4m public servants
A landmark ruling by the UK Supreme Court on judges’ and firefighters’ pensions could have enormous implications for the wider public sector. In 2018, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and a group of judges took the government to court over controversial changes to public sector pensions made in 2015. The new rules allowed older workers…
Trump drops forest centre cuts plan
The Trump administration has reversed its decision to close or outsource US Forest Service training centres, following bipartisan opposition from Congress. Under the plans, responsibility for the Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centres (CCCs) would have been transferred from the US Department of Agriculture to the US Department of Labor. More than 1000 jobs were set to…
Irish civil service union calls for cut in working hours
The Irish government’s failure to cut the working hours of more junior civil servants has created “a two-tier public service”, the incoming head of the country’s largest public sector union has warned. In 2013, lower and middle earners agreed to work an extra 2.25 hours a week under the Haddington Road Agreement, in order to…
Brazilian department urges president-elect to curb civil service salaries
Salaries of government workers should be brought into line with those of the private sector, according to an official report handed to the president-elect of Brazil. The right-wing former army captain Jair Bolsonaro won 55% of the vote in last month’s presidential election, and will succeed Michel Temer on 1 January. One of his major…
APS commissioner outlines vision for more flexible civil service
The new Australian Public Service (APS) commissioner has outlined a vision of a more “permeable” civil service in his first public speech. Peter Woolcott was appointed by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in August after serving as head his office for a year. Speaking at the APSwide conference in Canberra, he addressed how the public…
OECD launches open consultation on public service leadership and capability
The OECD has launched an online consultation on a set of 14 principles designed to help countries create a “fit-for-purpose public service”, with a particular emphasis on recruiting and developing suitable leaders and workforces. The principles form a draft recommendation on public service leadership and capability, and represent the product of a year’s development work…
Australia mourns diplomat who died in fall from New York building
Tributes have poured in for an Australian diplomat who fell to his death from a New York balcony after an evening out with his wife and friends. Julian Simpson, 30, died after falling five storeys from the seventh floor of his Lower East Side apartment building in the early hours of Wednesday. The tragedy happened…
Report reveals how governments can do more with less
Improved productivity could save governments around the world up to US$3.5 trillion (UK£2.7tn or €3.3tn) a year and help them deliver better public services, a new assessment by the McKinsey Center for Government (MCG) suggests. The report reveals how a number of countries have in recent years managed to improve services while maintaining or even…
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Discover independent research reports, surveys and in-depth studies from Global Government Forum and knowledge partners, exploring the most important issues facing governments and the public sector. Our research provides practical insights and evidence-based recommendations for senior civil servants, policymakers and public sector leaders. Our reports combine exclusive survey data, expert analysis and interviews with government leaders from around the world to help public sector organisations improve performance, inform policy and deliver better outcomes for citizens.
Empowering Public Servants to Make Confident, Informed Decisions with Data and AI
Governments around the world are working hard to extract – and act upon – the insights held in their vast data stores, and to embrace AI and the promise it holds for innovation and transformation. At the same time, economic pressures and constrained budgets are compelling public servants to do more with fewer resources, while governments are called to respond quickly and effectively to complex challenges.
Against this backdrop, data and AI can help those working in government both to streamline their workflows and make fast, informed decisions. This in turn drives efficiency and can unlock productivity gains – and ultimately lead to improved performance and better services for citizens.
Global Government Forum surveyed over 600 civil servants worldwide to understand how data and AI are being used in government decision-making and where there are further challenges and opportunities.
Read this report for insight into how governments are using data and AI in decision-making today and the potential for the future; the major challenges to using data and AI in decision-making and how to overcome them; and how AI agents can be used in decision-making.
The report includes examples of data and AI in decision-making from countries including the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Singapore, the US, and more.
(Published September 2025)
Making Government Work: Five Pillars of a Modern, Effective Civil Service
Around the world, governments are dealing with substantial challenges – from economic stagnation to the transition to net zero, military conflicts and cyber threats. Governments are also grappling with shifting geopolitics and the rise of populism – and all of these factors are set against the emergence of new technologies, including generative AI, which have the potential to fundamentally transform every aspect of society, but which also pose huge ethical, security and regulatory questions for the public sector.
The Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service report was undertaken to help identify the key characteristics needed in a modern public service, with priorities ranging across leadership, digital service delivery, workforce development, cross-departmental integration, and citizen trust.
This report has been covered by publications around the world including the Financial Times, BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Ottawa Citizen, Fed Manager, the Mandarin and the i newspaper.
(Published August 2024)
The Future of the Finance Ministry
From setting tax rates and financial regulations that create the ground rules for national economies, to allocating – and tracking – spending for public services, finance ministries occupy an essential role at the centre of government. Geopolitical crises have reinforced the importance of finance ministries, as they tackle both immediate shocks and long-term trends such as ageing populations, the digital transition, and the impact of moves to net zero.
Against this backdrop, this global research explores what the future finance ministry looks like and how to prepare for it.
Based on interviews with 10 senior leaders from finance ministries – led by John McCarthy, chief economist in Ireland’s Department of Finance, working with Ian Hall, editor, Global Government Finance, and Richard Johnstone, executive editor, Global Government Forum – the study identifies four key themes: the evolving role of the finance ministry in response to uncertainty; the shift to more flexible finance systems that support outcomes; digital transformation and the growth of AI; and the battle for talent and trust.
(Published May 2026)
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