Innovation

Bill seeks to protect US federal scientists from political influence

A US committee has advanced a bill to protect federal scientists and their research from political interference.   The Scientific Integrity Act – which the House Science, Space and Technology […]

Former CIO warns that Canada lacks the ‘building blocks’ of digital economy

Alex Benay, Canada’s former chief information officer, has warned that officials are not making sufficient progress on digital identity, which he argues is the cornerstone of a digital economy.   […]

UK MPs call for ‘long overdue’ change in government’s approach to data

A highly critical report from the UK’s parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found that a long-standing failure to improve the quality of data in government has led to inadequate services, poor […]

UK civil service to expand ex-offender recruitment programme

The UK’s Civil Service Commission chief executive, Peter Lawrence, has appealed to colleagues to join a scheme that finds work for ex-prisoners in the civil service. In a blog post […]

Enter the era of enterprise: leadership in the 2020s

Civil services are ill-equipped to handle today’s fast-moving technological, economic and social challenges. At the Global Government Summit, top officials from nine countries explored the pioneering, enterprising model of leadership […]

The power of priorities: goal-setting in Finland and New Zealand

By rebuilding departments’ work around a handful of core goals, governments can get civil servants working together across traditional boundaries. In Finland and New Zealand, leaders have tried to do […]

Australian PM promises public service shakeup

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has set out his vision for the Australian Public Service (APS), in his first major speech to civil servants since he was elected for a […]

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 […]

Canada’s digital chief Alex Benay quits government

Alex Benay has announced he will step down as Canada’s chief information officer next month to “take on new challenge” at tech start-up MindBridge. “It is with mixed emotions that […]

Kenya creates Africa’s first national digital ID scheme

Kenya has just closed registration on the country’s new digital database, creating the first population-wide identity scheme in Africa. “My administration will complete a central master population database, which will […]