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Right on the money: translating the disbursements learnings of yesterday to the government to person payments of tomorrow
Transforming the way money reaches citizens is a fundamental task for governments as they get to grips with the future of public services. At a Mastercard webinar, experts discussed why timely payments to the right people matter so much – with a focus on financial inclusion With the ever-increasing importance of government to person (G2P)…
Being smart with artificial intelligence: deploying AI in the public sector
AI has huge potential value in policymaking and service delivery – but the emerging tech has a unique set of risks. At a GGF webinar, civil service leaders from the USA, Canada and Germany discussed how governments can realise AI’s benefits while steering around its pitfalls. Adam Green reports Nothing better illustrates the need for…
Data standards published for UK pensions dashboards
Data standards have been published to create “pensions dashboards” for UK citizens. The tool will enable people to access their personal pensions data – including about their state pension – via a single digital interface. It is is being developed by the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP), a team established by the Money & Pensions Service…
Brazil introduces public sector reform bill
The Brazil government has presented a constitutional reform bill to congress that would make it easier to fire civil servants and cut their benefits, and would give the president powers to eliminate public sector jobs and bodies and reorganise departments without congressional approval. Current public sector workers would not see their terms or salaries changed…
UK’s “bungled” Universal Credit benefit system must be improved, report says
The UK’s much-criticised Universal Credit social security system is too far advanced to be scrapped, and could be much improved by introducing a ‘welcome grant’ to lessen the impact of late payments and writing off benefit debt, according to a new report. The report, Universal Credit – Getting it to work better, by London-based think tank…
Australian government was aware ‘robodebt’ programme unlawful, emails reveal
Civil servants administering a controversial welfare debt recovery system run by Australia’s Department of Social Services (DSS) received advice that their operations were unlawful, a string of newly released emails has revealed. The confidential email exchange, released to a Senate inquiry into the matter on Thursday, occurred between top officials working for the Australian Taxation…
India’s banking scheme draws in 200m new customers
Narendra Modi has worked hard to broaden access to bank accounts, with remarkable success. But Deepak Adhikari finds that more work remains if the Indian government, economy and rural poor are to feel the benefits A year and half ago, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ambitious plan to provide banking services to the…
Russia to create single social security management system
The Russian Federation has announced its intention to create a single data management system bringing together all of its social security spending, with the aim of improving efficiency and combating fraud. Nikolai Yelistratov, Chairman of The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation (PFR), said that the new system – named EGISSO – will hold all…
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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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