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Created by the Public Governance Directorate

This website was created by the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), part of the OECD Public Governance Directorate (GOV).

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Innovation Trends

The edge of government innovation

innovation trends

About Innovation Trends

Each year, OPSI and the UAE’s MBRCGI conduct comprehensive innovation reviews. We capture and analyse hundreds of innovations from all around the world and surface key trends in government innovation.

A new world demands new approaches

The unprecedented rate of change is transforming economies, governments and societies in complex and unpredictable ways. This process is fundamentally altering how people live, interact and work, which inevitably affects their relationship with government.

The growing and interconnected ecosystem of citizens and other stakeholders are demanding more of government and expecting better performance. To meet citizen demands and tackle the challenges of today, governments need to understand, test and embed new ways of doing things.

They are integral in creating a path for achieving the goals of tomorrow by building on what has been accomplished and working to tackle emerging challenges. Governments at the edge of innovation are pioneers, using fantastic, novel solutions to harness today’s opportunities for the collective good.

A partnership to catalyse innovation

OPSI and the UAE Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) have worked together since 2017 to stimulate and enrich the culture of innovation within government. Together, we conduct global reviews on the ways in which governments and their partners are innovating and the steps needed to transform ad-hoc and sporadic innovation into routine practice, fully integrated into public sector systems. Through this collaboration, OPSI and MBRCGI have surfaced and analysed thousands of innovation initiatives, the best of which are published on OPSI’s Case Study Library.

These efforts shed light on how governments respond to the enormous challenges of today’s complex world and highlight recent trends and examples in public sector innovation.

See the reports

OPSI and the MBRCGI have published 11 reports over the last several years. Each contain in-depth analysis of the latest trends in public sector innovation, alongside case studies on global best practices as well as tools and resources to help equip public servants to innovate.

2023: Global Trends in Government Innovation 2023

2021/2022 – A focus on Cross-Border Government Innovation
Achieving Cross-Border Government Innovation
– Report 1: Governing Cross-Border Challenges
– Report 2: Surfacing Insights and Experimenting Across Borders
– Report 3: Delivering and Enabling Impactful Cross-Border Solutions

2020 – A series of five topical reports
Embracing Innovation in Government: Global Trends 2020
– Report 1: Innovative Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis
– Report 2: Seamless Government
– Report 3: Focusing on the Overlooked
– Report 4: Public Provider versus Big Brother
– Report 5: Upskilling and Investing in People

2019Embracing Innovation in Government: Global Trends 2019

2018Embracing Innovation in Government: Global Trends 2018

2017Embracing Innovation in Government: Global Trends 2017

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