Global: European Commission Collaboration

This blog is part of a series on the experiences and results of the government teams which participated as “challenge owners” in the OECD Gov2Gov Innovation Incubator. They were prepared by the teams themselves in order to offer first-hand accounts of their expectations, learnings, pain points, and overall assessment of the initiative. Written by Mayara Soares Faria, International Advisor; Ricardo Poppi, Product Manager; & Carla de Paiva Bezerra, Director of Digital Participation and…

Around the world, governments are adapting to a rapidly evolving policy environment shaped by new technologies, rising citizen expectations and complex social and economic pressures. These changes demand more than good intentions or strong policy design on paper; they require deep understanding of how people actually experience government in their everyday lives.  That’s why more than 180 delegates from 44 countries came together in Paris for the 9th meeting of the Behavioural Research in…

This blog post is part of a series on public sector innovation skills and applied capabilities, focusing on the conceptualisation of public sector innovation skills and applied capabilities, the practical pathways for development within the constraints of public administrations, and the connection between innovation skills and meaningful public sector transformation and impact on strategic goals and policy priorities. Public sector innovation is evolving rapidly, demanding a renewed approach to…

An interview with Patrick Vincent, Public Innovation Director at the Open Innovation Lab of the Metropole of Lyon (ERASME). The Metropole of Lyon, France’s second-largest public administration, has long fostered socio-environmental transitions through investments in soft mobility, urban climate resilience, sustainable food systems, and local solidarity. Yet, when tackling complex “wicked” problems, it often encounters what Patrick Vincent, Public Innovation Director at ERASME,…

This blog post is part of a series on public sector innovation skills and applied capabilities, focusing on the conceptualisation of public sector innovation skills and applied capabilities, the practical pathways for development within the constraints of public administrations, and the connection between innovation skills and meaningful public sector transformation and impact on strategic goals and policy priorities. These are longstanding questions for the OECD Observatory of Public Sector…

Innovation labs often help accelerate innovation and change in government. They create the space for new ideas to take root and grow, supporting stakeholders to identify and tackle the root cause of problems, not just treat the symptoms. Their approach usually tries to support the development of new policies, services, process or product innovations and demonstrates the impact of working in new ways (e.g. responsive services, improved access, cost and time savings). Through work with...

This post was co-authored by the experts from the OECD Mission Action Lab, a joint initiative of the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, the OECD Directorate of Public Governance, and the OECD Development Co-operation Directorate. In our work at the OECD Mission Action Lab, we frequently encounter a crucial question from policymakers: when is a mission an appropriate policy response? This a fair but difficult question to answer. Indeed, when well designed and...

“It’s nice in principle, but where do we start?” In our collaboration with countries, this is a question we often encountered in relation to the application of the OECD Declaration on Public Sector Innovation. We learned that identifying the first step is often the hardest. In response, the OECD Innovation Playbook 1.0 was launched in 2022, offering public officials and managers a solid starting point to apply these principles effectively. Today, we’re excited to introduce...