Add Your Heading Text Here

AI-Powered Knowledge Bank

The Knowledge Bank is an AI-powered dynamic hub of practical tools, applied research, and case studies designed to generate solutions around Public Sector Inclusion, Integrity and Innovation.

ASK FUTUREGOV AI

COMING SOON

What assets and innovations can governments mobilize to transform the public sector and achieve the SDGs?

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the working methods of public institutions. The urgency to respond in real time loosened institutional constraints and forced public agencies to be more agile and to experiment with alternative ways to operate, accelerating innovation. Beyond the implementation of buffer measures to maintain essential public services, the crisis provided opportunities for transformations in public administration that would have been challenging to pursue in “normal” times. Although this urgency presented risks of weakening the checks and balances essential for accountability, it also led to the discovery of more efficient and effective ways to deliver public services, and many of these may become the “new normal.” Nevertheless, it is not clear that the agile decision-making, experimentation and innovation observed during the pandemic will persist. This raises the question of how to foster innovation in public institutions in the absence of crises.

To retain public trust, governments must demonstrate they can effectively handle systemic shocks; they must demonstrate capacity to foresee problems and address them proactively before they become crises. Governments can tap into the innovations developed during the pandemic to better serve their constituents and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Location
  • Global
Date of publication

04/10/2024

Document Category
  • Innovation
  • Public Administration Systems and Processes
  • Integrity

©2025 United Nations Development Programme