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International GovTech maturity “lower than expected”, says World Bank
Despite increasing investment across the world, GovTech maturity is “lower than expected” in most countries and digital citizen engagement lacking, research from the World Bank has found. While most governments have developed core online systems, such as open-data portals and countrywide ICT infrastructure, these systems are often “fragmented and disconnected” and lacking automated data exchange.…
Know your knowledge: organising governments’ data assets
At the Government Digital Summit, digital leaders from 15 countries debated their goals and frustrations in the gargantuan task of improving data management. Matt Ross hears how officials from the UK to Azerbaijan are working to bring order to their data dumps At the UK’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Gina Gill’s digital team are busy…
National digital identity systems: why private sector participation matters
Interest in digital IDs increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as many governments looked to deliver services remotely and at scale. The experience has highlighted the benefits of enabling private sector organisations to integrate with state systems In the US, COVID-19 stimulus payments for citizens took the form of physical cheques. They were delivered by mail…
IRS tackling big digital transformation and legislative challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic forced government agencies to accelerate digital transformation efforts, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was no exception. The IRS was already in a significant transition period, spurred by the Taxpayer First Act, which was signed into law in July 2019. The Act was designed to improve the taxpayer experience and ensure the…
Gilding the ‘golden records’: finding a single source of truth in government
To build services around users’ needs, departments need a common frame of reference and ways to reconcile conflicting information. At a recent GGF webinar, experts from governments, the OECD and the private sector explored how civil service bodies can make progress on the thorny but unavoidable challenge of master data management In Lithuania it started…
Civil service transformers: adapting to a changing world
In a world of ever-quickening change, civil services must constantly transform themselves – adapting their structures and operations to meet the public’s fast-changing needs. At this GGF webinar, the civil servants leading reform programmes in the UK and Singapore explored the issues with a private sector specialist. Natalie Leal reports It’s been a “turbulent few…
Power with responsibility: deploying AI in the struggle against COVID-19
Governments are striving to beat coronavirus, often turning to emerging technologies such as AI to help them do it. These offer tremendous benefits in times of crisis and otherwise. But as Dr Steve Bennett explains, such technologies must be used carefully if their full potential is to be reached – and the risks avoided. “Nothing…
Responding to Covid-19: A public sector guide to continuity planning
Before the start of the COVID pandemic, the capabilities of cloud computing and ERP platforms were already maturing fast. This was hastening adoption among public sector organizations, which need to future-proof and digitize to improve citizen services while meeting other challenges against a backdrop of restricted funding. Since this crisis gripped the world, the roles…
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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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