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UK civil service showcases crowdsourced ideas to improve data use
The UK civil service has unveiled eight grassroots ideas on how to make better use of data in government. The projects make up the long list of the Civil Service Data Challenge, an initiative which launched in March this year. The competition encouraged central government employees to submit their ideas on how to make better…
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…
Crystal clear: Sir Ian Diamond on using data to profile the pandemic
The UK civil service has transformed its data operations during the pandemic, says Office for National Statistics chief Professor Sir Ian Diamond – web-scraping, integrating datasets, and building partnerships with businesses and foreign governments. And with more analysts and statistics professionals, he tells Matt Ross, it could move even faster “We have seen a rapid…
UK Data Challenge launches to unearth and develop staff ideas
The UK has launched an initiative to gather civil servants’ ideas for how to make better use of data, tapping into the workforce’s expertise to kick off a new set of data projects. As part of the Civil Service Data Challenge, all central government employees are invited to submit ideas on how data can be…
How AI can improve decision-making in government by linking datasets
Artificial intelligence can provide civil service leaders with a much fuller, real-time perspective of the issues, helping to cut costs while improving products and services Carefully designed and implemented, artificial intelligence (AI) systems can dramatically improve the speed and quality of decision-making – automating less-sensitive processes, while providing insights and evidence to guide civil servants…
First build the foundations: Shaida Badiee on governments’ misplaced aid policies
After nearly two decades running the World Bank’s Development Data Group, Shaida Badiee now works to help developing nations improve their data systems. And she has a clear message for donor countries: individual aid projects can be helpful, but the real need is for basic data infrastructure During her long career in strategic data management,…
Survey: centre of government should win new data powers, say UK civil servants
Most UK civil servants want to see the centre of government win new powers to drive departments’ progress on the use of data, outnumbering those opposed by three to one, according to new research. In an online survey about how government could realise the potential of data, civil servants identified a number of priorities including…
Five key debates: the best webinars of 2020
When the world moved to home-working, so did GGF – bringing together civil service leaders from around the world for a series of webinars on aspects of the pandemic. Here, we pick five panel discussions that could help you realise your goals in 2021 Making a success of remote working Among much, much else, 2020…
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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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