OECD identifies five key government innovation trends
A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has identified five key trends where governments have innovated in 2024 – from co-creating public services with users to making progress on using data to inform better decision-making.
The Global Trends in Government Innovation 2024 report examines nearly 800 case studies from 83 countries and identifies five critical trends in government innovation that are reshaping public services.
The five trends cover two major themes: building more personalised and co-created services – and using them as opportunities for public participation – and making the most of digital and data technological developments to drive better provision.
The report is based on an analysis of submissions to the OECD’s 2024 call for government innovations from 83 countries. The nearly 800 examples studied encompass all levels of government and most of its functions. The OECD developed the report through a specific framework for innovation in public services, based on its definition of public sector innovation: “implementing something novel to the context in order to achieve impact”.
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The areas where governments are innovating
The report identifies the most significant actions governments are taking to innovate public services, with a focus on adapting them to respond to current and future needs.
Setting out the five trends, the report says that co-creating public services with users helps to ensure provision is flexible and responsive to change, and services are therefore more resilient and sustainable in the long term. For instance, Norway is using foresight techniques to build migration services that meet both current and future needs.
Another trend identified is creating personalised public services to better meet people’s needs, especially those of vulnerable and disadvantaged people. Among the examples highlighted is the United States, which has made assistance for disaster survivors more accessible, reducing administrative burdens and cutting assistance registration times by over 15%.
The OECD also found that public services are an opportunity to engage citizens in exercising their rights, building trust and holding governments to account. For example, France is collaborating with citizens to identify avenues to improve public services and engage civil society organisations in the development of better services.
Building digital foundations is key to catalysing this engagement, and the OECD report found that governments are investing in digital infrastructure for technologies such as automation and AI, and expanding innovation and digital skills to make public services more efficient. Among the examples highlighted is the use of AI by Italy’s national social security institute to sort and classify messages, improving response times and empowering public servants to focus and prioritise urgent citizen needs.
Governments are also leveraging data to drive better decision-making, using both traditional and non-traditional sources to guide public service design and execution. They are increasingly using experimentation to navigate highly complex and unpredictable environments. In Korea, for example, sensory data in urban spaces is being used to improve the quality, safety and attractiveness of public transportation.
Read more: OECD urges governments to do more to improve trust
Governments ‘must use services to earn trust’
The report concludes that “public services are the main point of contact between governments and people, businesses and organisations”, and that “the quality of public services has a profound impact on people’s lives and is often pivotal in ensuring citizens have access to opportunities and realise their full potential”.
To earn trust and effectively address people’s evolving needs, public services must continuously innovate in ways that deliver value and improve lives, the OECD says.
The report states: “Major global events in recent years, including the 2008 economic crisis, global conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic, have shown the critical need for public services that can swiftly respond to the changing needs of citizens. Governments have demonstrated that they are taking these lessons to heart by adapting to changing expectations and investing in a new generation of public services that are more proactive, resilient and inclusive.”
Similar findings formed part of Global Government Forum’s Making Government Work report, which identified five pillars of a modern, effective civil service. Pillar five was focused on cultivating a service trusted by its users and the public, and highlighted that governments can build trust by showcasing success stories and the positive outcomes of civil service initiatives. The report, which was based on interviews with the most senior civil servant in 12 countries, found that governments around the world were focusing on providing high-quality services to build trust.
Read the report in full: Exclusive Global Government Forum research reveals five pillars of a modern civil service
About Richard Johnstone
Richard Johnstone is the executive editor of Global Government Forum, where he helps to produce editorial analysis and insight for the title’s audience of public servants around the world. Before joining GGF, he spent nearly five years at UK-based title Civil Service World, latterly as acting editor, and has worked in public policy journalism throughout his career.
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