Innovation Tag: Public Policy

In 2021, SIRA clawed back $91 million in excess insurer profit earned on the sale of compulsory motor accidents insurance and returned it to NSW drivers. This move was made possible after the 2017 reforms introduced a transitional excess profits and losses (TEPL) mechanism that was designed to eliminate insurer ‘super profits’ of the past. To our knowledge, the activation of this mechanism to claw back excess insurer profit and return it to the people was a world first.

"Why did I fail? How should I develop my career?" To address such concerns, we developed the Digital Mentor Service of National Qualification. It leverages massive data on national qualification tests to identify each individual's weaknesses and why they fail. It also provides personalized information by matching examination history with jobs and training offered by government agencies. Supporting test takers from skills assessment and development to job placement.

The National Agency of Research and Development has piloted a new program, called ‘Exploration Projects’, that allows funding of disruptive, unconventional, and high novelty science and research in all areas of knowledge. The program goals are to promote this type of science, propose the exploration of new and unconventional perspectives, methodologies, theories, and technologies, with the potential for significant reward to its discipline, field of knowledge, as well as society.

Intergenerational fairness—the idea that we should meet the needs of the present without compromising rights of future generations or citizens—is a defining theme of our time. Although most politicians and citizens value fairness, society does not have a way to assess the impact we’re having on future generations and advocate for them. This Framework for Intergenerational Fairness contributes to this. The Framework provides a pragmatic solution, whether as a young citizen, or public…

LAB Justice is the first executive education program, tailor-made for the Justice sector. With a customized learning journey, it was designed to help people working for Justice bodies address the challenges faced to deliver more efficient and people-centred services. Focused on three main areas – strategic management, digital transition and leadership in a context of change –, it aims to ensure the necessary skills to implement reform measures, namely those under the Recovery and Resilience…

Metroverse is an urban economy navigator built at the Growth Lab at Harvard University. It is based on over a decade of research on how economies grow and diversify and offers brand new insights on a city's growth prospects by placing its existing technological capabilities and knowhow at the heart of how diversification unfolds. Metroverse was built using a user-centered design process to help city leaders, policymakers and researchers grapple with 21st-century urbanization challenges.

Companies in Emilia-Romagna in Italy are in strong need of personnel with ICT skills. Unfortunately, the education system is currently unable to meet this demand: there are still many young people who do not follow STEM courses. In particular, few girls approach university and specialist courses in science and technology. Digital Girls ER is an active orientation project whose main objective is to bring girls closer to computer science and programming through an innovative method.

The PropTech Engagement Fund was launched in 2021 and has worked with 41 Local Authorities to date on accelerating the adoption of digital citizen engagement tools and transforming community involvement in placemaking. Our ongoing programme is the largest UK Government PropTech Programme, leading on how to work with industry, tech start ups and local governments to increase the diversity and positivity of placemaking conversations and to fast track new digital policy and local housing delivery.

Citizens' assemblies (CAs) were incorporated in the new Law on Municipalities in 2005. As an opportunity to strengthen participatory processes, and to improve participatory decision-making methods at local level, Participation Task Forces (PTFs) were established. The innovative nature of the PTFs is that for the first time elected municipal councillors, appointed municipal officials, and representatives of CAs worked together on developing participatory policy proposals for their municipality.

Tackling the effects of rising urban heat goes beyond objective physical measurements. For sure, technical services are in need of blended indicators about the effects of local policies: under which conditions tree planting, fountains, urban design contribute to reduce island heats. The project has created such tools, but is also willing to take seriously into account the subjectivity, the perceived heat, the sensations of our citizens, for they contribute hugely to our collective resilience.