This document discusses platforms for public innovation and future government capacity. It argues that governments need new capacities to address complex public problems and maintain legitimacy. It proposes that governments act as platforms to catalyze different types of innovation through collaboration. Examples are provided of governments enabling civic mapping of transportation routes in Mexico City and a mobile app in Canada to connect people in need with volunteers. The document concludes that an experimental mindset is needed to redesign governance and political systems through public innovation.

1. Platforms for public innovation &
the future of government capacity
Jesper Christiansen
Head of Strategy & Development, Nesta / Co-founder, States of Change
Helsinki, September 2019

2. Agenda
- Intro / about Nesta & States of Change
- Reflection exercise
- Future government capacity
- Governments as platforms for public innovation

3. Our PurposeWe bring bold
ideas to life to
change the
world for
good.

6. BUILDING
CAPABILITIES
MAKING IT
HAPPEN
RAISING
AWARENESS

7. Building the next generation
of public innovation

8. BUILDING
CAPABILITIES
MAKING IT
HAPPEN
RAISING
AWARENESS
STATES OF CHANGE
A global innovation
learning collective
aimed enabling and
supporting a new
culture and craft in
government

9. Supported by

10. Our faculty so far…

11. Why States of Change?

14. Public problems…
Multiple possible problem definitions
Filled with uncertainties and unknowns
Many stakeholders with different values and
priorities
Have causes and drivers that are
interdependent
Impossible to predict if interventions will work
“Insolvable problems”: how do we address
them continuously rather than promise
“delivery”?

16. Public legitimacy
"Whether you look at the use of
knowledge, planning, procurement,
financing, human resources, or even
democratic models, the inability for
governments to upgrade their mindsets
and toolkits has led traditional policy
approaches to a crisis and a lack of
effective action. This has led many to
question their legitimacy.”

17. Reflection questions
- What are crucial factors when it comes to creating
and/or maintaining government legitimacy?
- What kind of government capacities are crucial to
develop in order to make it happen?

18. What kind of government capacity?

22. Governments as platforms for
public innovation

23. Capacity
Systems
Solutions
People
Public sector
innovation
Policy
innovation
Civic
innovation
Social
innovation
Transforming public
service systems

24. Mapaton
Mexico City

25. - 14 mio citizens use the bus transportation system everyday
- 30.000 informal bus routes relying on word-of-mouth for people to use them
- Over 4000 citizens mapped over 50.000 km of routes in two weeks for the cost
of 15.000 USD
- Traditional public sector mapping programmes cost millions of USD and take
several years to complete
- Data now opened up for businesses and entrepreneurs to develop transport
solutions and apps to create a more inclusive transport system

26. Capacity
Systems
Solutions
People
Public sector
innovation
Policy
innovation
Civic
innovation
Social
innovation
Transforming public
service systems
Developing new
business models
from the bottom-up

27. KUDOZ
Canada

31. Capacity
Systems
Solutions
People
Public sector
innovation
Policy
innovation
Civic
innovation
Social
innovation
Transforming public
service systems
Developing new
business models from
the bottom-up
Building social
resilience & collective
intelligence

32. Good sam example

33. Good sam example

35. Capacity
Systems
Solutions
People
Public sector
innovation
Policy
innovation
Civic
innovation
Social
innovation
Transforming public
service systems
Developing new
business models from
the bottom-up
Building social resilience
& collective intelligence
Changing how
government operates

39. Example: Government of Canada Entrepreneurs

40. Government capacity building: what we (probably) should do more off…
MORE IMPACTFUL
PROJECT DELIVERY
SKILLS
& CAPABILITY
DEVELOPMENT
INSTITUTIONAL
TRANSFORMATION
Cross-governmental
learning environment
Executive innovation mandate
from PSI Task Force
New instutionalised
“policy entrepreneur” role
Horizontal cross-departmental
team organisation
Platform for
rehearsing future
ways of working
Cohort of “credible” public servants
(non-innovation crowd)
Portfolio of cross-org
systems transformation projects

41. Capacity
Systems
Solutions
People
Public sector
innovation
Policy
innovation
Civic
innovation
Social
innovation
Transforming public
service systems
Developing new
business models from
the bottom-up
Building social resilience
& collective intelligence
Changing how
government operates

42. Capacity
Systems
Solutions
People
Public sector
innovation
Policy
innovation
Civic
innovation
Social
innovation
Transforming public
service systems
Developing new
business models from
the bottom-up
Building social resilience
& collective intelligence
Changing how
government operates
PUBLIC
INNOVATION
Redesigning
government
Redesigning
the political
Governance
innovation
Institutional
innovation

43. Platforms for public innovation &
the future of government capacity
- Beyond public sector renewal to
redesign government and the
political
- Experimental mindset is the first
step…

45. @States_Change
www.states-of-change.org
hello@states-of-change.org
Follow us
Thank you!
Contact us
Jesper.christiansen@nesta.org.uk
@jesperc_