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The science of systems: an interview with Stephen Lucas, Canada’s health chief
The pandemic has given scientists a key role in shaping policies; but scientific methods, says Health Canada deputy minister Stephen Lucas, are just as helpful in managing systems. The former geologist tells Matt Ross how Canada’s federal and provincial officials worked together in the face of the pandemic, minimising the virus’s impact When senior civil…
Grown-up government: an interview with Iain Rennie, New Zealand’s former state services commissioner
Over four years working as a consultant to governments around the world, former New Zealand civil service chief Iain Rennie has witnessed the global slide towards populism. But in his home country, he tells Mia Hunt, mature political leadership, brave policymaking and continuing public sector reforms have retained the trust between public bodies and the…
Crisis response: an interview with Sir Suma Chakrabarti
Suma Chakrabarti, the former UK permanent secretary and EBRD chief, sees opportunities as well as risks amidst the COVID crisis; but western governments, he warns, are fumbling their response. Matt Ross asks his views on global leadership and civil service reform – and learns why he didn’t apply to become UK Cabinet secretary The vast…
Doing good with data: an interview with the Development Bank of Latin America’s Carlos Santiso
Dr Carlos Santiso is no stranger to crisis response, having spent 25 years promoting democracy, strengthening governance and fighting corruption in emerging economies and fragile states. The scale of the coronavirus pandemic is intimidating; but as he tells Mia Hunt, it’s driving governments to harness the power of data and digital at unprecedented speed Carlos…
The restorative power of tech: an interview with Spain’s digital agency chief, David Cierco
For years David Cierco, head of the Spanish Red.es digital unit, made steady progress on improving the country’s public services and supporting its businesses. Then came coronavirus, and an emerging consensus that digital tech is key to Spain’s response, recovery and resilience. Pablo Jiménez Arandia meets him Spain has had a tough pandemic. Together with…
The wisdom of crowds: an interview with Taiwan’s unorthodox digital minister
In an increasingly fractious world, governments must connect directly with citizens in order to retain public trust. Audrey Tang’s radical approach to driving innovation through consensus and collaborative governance is showing the way – and by embracing open source, Taiwan is making it easy for other governments to follow. Mia Hunt reports Taiwan’s digital minister,…
Keeping pace with change: an interview with former Australian civil service chief Martin Parkinson
In a world of fake news, says Martin Parkinson – the recently-retired secretary of Australia’s Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet – public servants must build a meritocratic, risk-taking public service focused on meeting citizens’ needs. By Mia Hunt “It used to be that you could have your own views, but not your own…
Getting Brexit done: an interview with UK digital chief Alison Pritchard
The UK prime minister may want to ‘get Brexit done’, but his Conservative Party has spent 40 months arguing over what that means; meanwhile, civil servants have had to build the digital systems to prepare for this undefined future. Matt Ross meets Alison Pritchard, the Government Digital Service’s interim director general Civil servants around the…
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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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