Economic Growth Articles
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From rewiring the state to making cross-sector collaboration work: GGF’s 2025 research highlights
Over the past year, Global Government Forum (GGF) published several high-profile reports, focused on topics such as government innovation, NHS digital transformation, and using data and technology to deliver government priorities. Our studies seek to understand the challenges and opportunities facing senior civil servants and present practical solutions to help everyone move ahead. We use…
GGF study identifies success factors for cross-sector collaboration to drive economic growth
Amid challenging financial environments, many governments around the world are focusing on boosting economic growth – but as a new Global Government Forum (GGF) study shows, success depends on cross-sector collaboration. The study identifies the critical factors that enable cross-sector partnerships between government, business, academia, and civil society to deliver real economic impact. Based on…
Delivering economic growth in partnership
Amid challenging financial environments, many governments around the world are focusing on boosting economic growth. This Global Government Forum study shows how success depends on cross-sector collaboration and identifies the critical factors that make cross-sector partnerships between government, business, academia and civil society deliver real economic impact. Based on interviews with government leaders in Australia,…
Inability to balance public finances ranked top in list of interconnected risks facing governments
There is a critical need for governments to take an integrated approach to risk management in the face of intersecting economic, environmental and geopolitical challenges, according to a new report from consulting firm EY. The ‘Top 10 risks for government and public sector in 2025’ report flags the inability to achieve sustainable public finances as the…
Small businesses drive economic growth – how governments are using data to help them thrive
Governments around the world are focused on boosting economic growth to improve quality of life and fund better public services. Small businesses are critical to this, often contributing more than 50% of GDP. A recent Global Government Forum webinar examined how governments can help the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector to flourish – in…
The Celtic tiger awakens: lessons from Ireland’s ‘weird economy’
The fallout of the financial crisis silenced the roars of Ireland’s ‘Celtic tiger’ economy. Now it’s back, its growth – and its growing pains – offer useful lessons for other small, rapidly-developing countries. At the Global Government Finance Summit, its finance department chief economist John McCarthy profiled the country’s ‘weird economy’ “Sustainable development and new…
People, planet and profit: how can the UK government supercharge the transition to net zero?
Climate change is one of the world’s biggest and most urgent problems – and tackling it provides a huge economic opportunity. During a webinar hosted by Deloitte, panellists discussed what the UK government is, could and should be doing to accelerate in the race to net zero The UK government has committed to reach net…
The one-two punch: protecting living standards in an era of conflict and inflation
At the Global Government Summit in Singapore, civil service leaders from 16 countries met to explore five of the biggest challenges facing their countries – debating first how to protect living standards. Here we present some of the contributions by the chief economist of Ireland’s Department of Finance “My minister refers to this graph as…
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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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