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Finding your identity: how three governments are developing digital ID
Digital ID is an essential building block for rapid progress on transforming public services – but only a handful of governments have launched effective, popular systems. At the Global Government Digital Summit, digital leaders from Germany, Catalonia and Azerbaijan explained how they’re addressing the problem “Citizen digital identity is very polarising,” said Kevin Cunnington. “There…
Overcoming the challenges of working across government boundaries: how interagency performance was transformed in New Zealand
A new book details the innovative New Zealand programme that improved performance in ten of the most challenging cross-cutting problems. Professor Rodney Scott and Ross Boyd explain how it was done Governments have found it necessary to divide themselves into smaller administrative units (ministries, departments, agencies) in order to make the scope of operations more…
Singapore chief on the biggest challenges facing civil servants: learning pace and earning faith
Many civil servants responded to the pandemic with enormous speed and innovation – and their populations noticed, said Singapore Civil Service Head Leo Yip at the opening session of the 2021 Global Government Summit. The challenge now is how to hang onto those gains. Elaine Knutt reports “We have been going through a test of…
How to embed the agility and pace seen during the pandemic response in governments
At a recent webinar, senior civil servants from the UK, Canada and Finland discussed where operational cultures could change after the pandemic, and where there could be a reversion to old thinking Around the world, civil servants are sharing stories of against-the-clock IT development, unprecedented collaboration across departmental boundaries, and hastily assembled project teams launching…
Asking the right questions: an interview with Canada’s stats chief, Anil Arora
When the pandemic struck, Canada’s stats agency was barred from doing doorstep surveys – just as agencies from across government came knocking in search of information. Its chief Anil Arora tells Mia Hunt how StatCan tapped into new sources of data COVID-19 robbed Canada’s statistics agency StatCan of its usual data collection methods – just…
UK data strategy signals new cross-government standards
The UK government has published its National Data Strategy, setting out a series of actions to drive progress on civil service data management. Published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) on 9 September, the strategy includes plans to develop an ‘Integrated Data Platform’ to link up datasets, and signals government’s intention…
Managing a distributed workforce now and beyond COVID-19
Earlier this year, civil services worldwide found themselves having to transition thousands of employees to working remotely, often with just a few days’ notice. And as panellists explained during a recent GGF webinar, the focus now is on continuing to engage employees and preparing for long-term change. During the webinar, hosted by Global Government Forum…
EBRD chief: governments must ‘push much harder’ on sustainability
Inaction is not an option on environmental sustainability, EBRD president Sir Suma Chakrabarti told the Global Government Leaders’ Forum. Mia Hunt hears top officials from four countries debate how governments can catalyse action across government and society to protect our environment “A failure to act on environmental sustainability should not be on the menu of…
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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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