Author: Angela Hanson

On October 1, 2024, the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) celebrated the conclusion of project LIMinal, a two-year initiative funded by the European Commission involving Lithuania, Italy, and Malta. This project focused on strengthening anticipatory innovation governance in these countries through the development of practical tools and resources, including a curriculum to foster futures-thinking and innovation capabilities among foresight practitioners, policymakers, and senior…

What is at the top of the minds of government officials working in public sector innovation? OPSI convenes a network of officials for the purpose of international exchange of practices, development of common guidance and principles among OECD Members, and identification of emerging topics faced by national governments in their innovation efforts. The OPSI National Contact Point meeting in April was one in a series of twice annual gatherings from national governments, represented by centres...

The need for strategic foresight and anticipatory governance cannot be overstated. Governments worldwide are grappling with the challenge of preparing for future uncertainties while ensuring their policies and strategies are resilient and adaptive. The OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) is working to develop a curriculum and guidebook to bolster anticipatory governance capabilities based on our ongoing learnings from project LIMinal, with the governments of Lithuania, Italy, and…

Innovation has always happened in the public sector and often in response to crises. Necessity is the mother of invention and crises force governments to act and innovate as we go, but who is capturing those insights, adapting dynamically, and changing the way “business as usual” is carried out in the public sector? As a recent experience revealed in Sweden, for successful proactive and anticipatory governance, suspension of disbelief and rehearsal are key, as are...

This is Part 1 of a bolg series on Government Communities of Practice for Innovation, in which we will explore the existing research and international examples and identify the factors and start-up practices that are likely to catalyse new ideas and embed innovation in organisations and institutions. Read Part 2: “Engage, test, refine – and repeat: Designing and piloting a community of practice in Ireland“. Government communities of practice are not new. There are countless...

This is the second post of a series on innovation portfolio management for international development organisation. In the first article we laid out our approach to designing tailored innovation portfolio management models and approaches for development funders. In this post, we share insights from our collaboration on innovation portfolio management with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Iceland. Iceland: A small but energetic player For most development organisations and funders, innovation…

Innovation portfolio management enables not only commercial actors but also public sector organisations to systematically manage and prioritise innovation activities according to concurrent and diverse purposes and priorities. It is a core component of a comprehensive approach to innovation management and a condition to assess the social return of investment across an entire portfolio. The OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) has worked in this space for a number of years. By…

In a world where change is the only constant, the ability to anticipate and adapt to the future has become a vital survival skill for governments and public sector organisations. A reactive approach to policymaking is no longer enough. It is increasingly important to anticipate policy challenges and take action to proactively steer towards preferred futures. We are seeking peers and experts to join us on this ambitious journey.   Building on experiences strengthening anticipatory…

Fast forward and imagine the year 2035. For almost three decades, social media – also known as ‘persuasive technology’ – platforms, in that they attempt to influence users’ attitudes and behaviours, have dominated global markets. But now, the fall of established tech giants is in full swing. In this hypothetical near future, people and governments around the world demanded change after experiencing the negative effects of persuasive technologies. In this new world, governments in…

One of the biggest challenges in taking a mission-oriented innovation approach is operationalising the ambitions in practice. While many missions have been announced – including missions to tackle climate change, enhance equality, reduce poverty, and many others – there is a lack of analytical reflection of what drives missions to success. To answer this question, the OECD Mission Action Lab and the Danish Design Centre conducted a survey in December 2021. Two hundred and twenty...