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The path to digital government
88% of global government leaders say that automation is a priority for their organizations and they believe automation increases productivity, reduces operating expenses, and frees up employees to take on higher-value work. Globally, public sector institutions are on the path to digital transformation. Yet they are faced with technological, cultural, and regulatory challenges. In recent…
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.…
Time traveller: Israeli IT chief Shahar Bracha on digital’s leap into the future
The pandemic has supercharged progress on Israel’s digital services, says the head of its Government ICT Authority – and cleared the path ahead for radical reforms to create corporate IDs and dismantle legislative obstacles. Matt Ross interviews Shahar Bracha “We moved four or five years into the future due to this pandemic,” says Shahar Bracha,…
US defense must have foundations for AI integration by 2025, new report says
The US Department of Defense (DoD) must set “an ambitious goal” to have the foundations for widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across defence in place by 2025, according to a draft of the final report from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI). This should include “a common digital infrastructure that is accessible…
The dangers of division: Singapore’s civil service chief opens Global Government Summit
At the 2019 Global Government Summit, head of the Singapore Civil Service Leo Yip highlighted the dangers of today’s global and social tensions – and the challenges around trust, technology and transformation facing government. Matt Ross reports on the event’s opening session “All of us come from different countries, serving different governments with our own…
Payments tech will help tackle financial exclusion, conference hears
‘Open banking’ is set to create “serious disruption” to financial services and could help address financial inclusion, a leading UK Parliamentarian has told Global Government Forum. Lord Holmes of Richmond, who is vice-chair of the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on FinTech, and co-chair of the APPGs on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Blockchain,…
New tech will erode tax base, think tank warns
Changes to the world of work, including automation, artificial intelligence and the rise of the gig economy, could erode tax revenues so severely that it becomes difficult to provide essential state services by 2040, a Canadian think tank has warned. The report, ‘Robots, Revenues and Responses: Ontario and the Future of Work’, was published last…
Global Government Summit 2018; part 1
At the first session of 2018’s Global Government Summit, UK civil service chief executive John Manzoni explained Britain’s Whitehall reform goals to top officials from eight other countries. Matt Ross presents the first part of our report on the event, starting with the “dreaded D’s” – the key challenges facing government, outlined by Singapore civil…
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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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