A series of reports on government innovations from around the world

There are many ways to measure the success of a country, and perhaps the most common is the gross domestic product (GDP), or the total monetary value of a country’s goods and services. GDP is likely to remain a vital indicator in the eyes of economists, but it does not reflect all aspects of concern to members of society.

This is due to the fact that some of the factors that determine the quality of life in a country cannot be measured in terms of financial value. Aspects of health, the nature of families and relationships, the quality and style of work, the surrounding environment, and education are of great importance in giving us a sense of satisfaction with our lives. Hence, we have to include these factors in our measurements to understand what matters to members of society.

On the other hand, there is a critically intertwined relationship between wealth and social well-being. That is, poverty causes unhappiness to people, but wealth alone does not make them happy. When members of society in a country suffer from poverty (such as Somalia, which has a per capita GDP of only US$600), the disparity in material wealth makes a big difference in the happiness of individuals. Conversely, when members of a society or country enjoy wealth (for example, the per capita GDP in Luxembourg is $96,000), the impact of income differences on the level of social welfare declines, and other factors gain a more significant influence.

The report includes local and international examples of how data analysis can be used to enhance the mechanism and efficiency of government service delivery, improve satisfaction levels and improve the quality of life among community members.

A series of reports on government innovations from around the world

The rapid changes in our current era require the need for governments to move from the analysis stage to the implementation stage quickly and proactively in line with the renewed global trends and to keep pace with rapid development through the use of innovative tools in identifying opportunities, challenges, and future directions to develop innovative ideas and turn them into plans and strategies that can be applied on the ground and ultimately reflects positively on the lives of individuals and societies. Transformation is the hallmark of 2020. In conjunction with the publication of this report, the world is facing an enormous group of challenges and changes that force us to change our basic concepts to deal properly Unconventional to contain the crisis Covid 19 – on the one hand, and to keep pace with technological developments in light of the fourth industrial revolution on the other hand, which will contribute to achieving positive outputs and effects, especially with the development of means of communication and the fading of the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds, starting with From cloud computing platforms and big data to the Internet of Things and smart government applications, and other tools that reflect the development of the language of governments everywhere around the world and reveal The nature of innovative services that adapt advanced technology to provide better services to its citizens. Unlike ever before, technology has become closely linked to the governance and operational processes in the government sector with the aim of designing innovative products, services, and policies. Several major initiatives have been launched around the world to emphasize the importance of innovation in government work. Based on the forward-looking vision of the UAE government, the country has intensified its efforts to enhance innovation capabilities in federal and local government agencies. It has achieved many achievements in this field. Today, the UAE is the most innovative country in the Arab world and one of the top three countries in the field of innovation in North Africa and West Asia, according to the Global Innovation Index 2020.

At the end of 2019, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation invited all government agencies at the federal and local levels in the UAE to monitor and document government innovations in the United Arab Emirates. The number of participations exceeded expectations. The total number of submissions reached 550 innovations from 128 government agencies in the UAE. Contributions were at the level of federal and local government agencies, where the federal government agencies participated by 25%. In comparison, the participation of local government agencies at the level of the seven emirates reached 75%. These innovations provide a clear example of the active participation of government agencies in making innovation a daily practice in government work. Accordingly, a team of experts followed an accurate and comprehensive evaluation mechanism to evaluate and select the best innovations that meet the evaluation criteria previously defined in the invitation, such as modernity, reproducibility, and impact. The work team conducted field visits and personal interviews to document the innovations qualified. The report includes 25 of the most important innovations implemented from 2017 to 2020, reflecting the continuous commitment of government agencies to spread and consolidate the culture of innovation.

The report sheds light on the novelty of projects that are characterized by the orientation of teamwork rather than individual, as many of these innovations are the result of an idea that was presented by an employee in different sectors and departments and was developed and implemented through a team worked from within the government entity itself. Finally, we hope these innovations will be a source of inspiration for everyone who has the passion and desire to improve their communities and countries and adapt these innovative ideas in a way that contributes to making the government more efficient and effective.

As a result of the rapid changes taking place in the current era, the tremendous technological progress, and the digital transformation initiatives adopted by the governments of the world, innovation has become a necessity rather than an option for governments, in light of the wide areas and limitless potential it entails.

Innovation has become an essential element in government work aimed at designing the future and drawing its features in line with global changes. In order to establish a culture of government innovation, it is necessary to create a supportive environment for it and provide the necessary enablers for the development and implementation of innovative ideas on the ground in a way that benefits and contributes to achieving added value for members of society and improving the quality of life.

And based on the continuous efforts of the government of the United Arab Emirates to motivate government agencies to introduce innovations and ideas to find non-traditional solutions to various challenges, all government agencies have employed the various tools available and imparted a spirit of innovation to them and developed them to generate effective solutions capable of facing contemporary and future challenges. In the state, it bears the task of continuous development and the application of the highest standards of efficiency and effectiveness in order to meet the requirements of individuals and societies and to support the development process in the state and consolidate its global position in order for the UAE to become one of the most innovative countries in the world.

At the end of 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic cast a shadow over the world. The Covid-19 crisis quickly turned into a global pandemic, affecting the world’s largest economies and prompting them to take unprecedented decisions and adopt proactive and exceptional work methodologies to contain this crisis. The crisis revealed some governments that represented a global model in flexibility, readiness for changes, government transparency, and community partnership, and proved successful in containing the crisis and limiting the repercussions associated with the spread of the virus.

The crisis prompted the world’s governments to think about future requirements in order to face unprecedented challenges in order to achieve one goal, which is to secure the requirements of a decent life for their people and facilitate transactions by harnessing digital tools such as artificial intelligence, process automation, big data science, and the Internet of Things. In light of the technological progress that the world is witnessing in various fields, and the accelerating pace of making smart discoveries around the world, the UAE government has adopted the methodology of establishing a culture of government innovation, and has harnessed all forms of support for this in order to achieve the desired progress.

This encouraging and stimulating approach has resulted in multiple innovative projects aimed at improving the level of efficiency and speed of implementation for a large number of government services that have taken into account the requirements and needs of community members to become smart and flexible services such as treatment services that are provided remotely, and innovations that would maintain Natural resources and the environment.

In the context of encouraging the spirit of innovation and technological creativity, the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation invited all government agencies in the country at the federal and local levels to submit their innovative ideas so that the distinguished projects will be included in the second edition of the “Innovations from the Nation” report, where these innovations were selected Based on key evaluation criteria such as novelty, repeatability, impact, proactivity and flexibility.

This report includes a selection of government innovations that have been implemented and contributed positively to improving the lives of individuals and societies in accordance with the highest standards of innovation and meaningful and effective teamwork, which reflects the government’s continuous commitment to spreading a culture of innovation in government work to keep pace with rapid development.

Despite the difficult challenges faced by the UAE and the world as a whole, which were imposed by the Covid 19 crisis; It was noted that the increasing demand for participation in the report and the increase in the number of innovations presented, as the number of submissions reached about 220 innovations from various government agencies in the UAE, whether local or federal. The participation of the federal government agencies was 40%, while the participation of the local government agencies at the level of the seven emirates reached 60%. This wide turnout for participation was a clear indication of the government sector’s awareness of the need to include innovation as a main focus in the various fields of work. Accordingly, a team of experts and consultants followed a precise and comprehensive evaluation mechanism to select the best innovations that meet the previously defined innovation criteria, and then the work team conducted personal interviews with all parties to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all the details of the qualified innovations. Finally, the report included 21 of the most important innovations implemented in the UAE.

In conclusion, we hope that these efforts will bear fruit in spreading the culture of innovation and individual and institutional creativity, in a way that serves society and contributes to its advancement and renaissance.

“Ibtekr” showcases the most innovative government experiences in promoting community participation

Dubai, April 2022: The Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation, through its knowledge platform “Ibtekr”, launched a new report entitled “Public Engagement”, which reviewed ten innovative experiences from 9 countries around the world, representing global success stories in strengthening government partnership with societies. In designing policies, projects and programs and supporting decision makers in developing work and services based on the visions and aspirations of community members.

The report aims to inspire government action leaders by providing them with new ideas to enhance community participation in decision-making and design innovative projects, initiatives and solutions that improve the quality of life for communities. It covers 10 innovative experiences in this field in Iceland, Finland, Australia, Taiwan, Belgium, the United States of America, France, Canada and the UAE.

Public engagement in decision making

The report defines the concept of community participation, which is based on the involvement of community members in political, economic and social life and enhancing their contribution to drawing up the general goals of governments, and indicates that community participation represents the organized contribution of the largest possible number of its groups in government decision-making.

The report reviews the development of community participation and the transformations it witnessed at the levels of concept and practice during the past two decades, and addresses the role of communication technology in building bridges of communication, and supporting government efforts to strengthen partnerships with society in developing solutions, initiatives and services that meet the aspirations of individuals.

Iceland.. a platform for public engagement in policy design

The report examines the experience of an open source online platform used by more than 56% of residents in Reykjavík, Iceland. Initial proposals are shortlisted by members of the city council before they are posted for voting, and since launching the platform, the city has spent $17.5 million on more than 787 policies proposed by community members.

The platform enables residents of the city to log in to it by linking with the accounts of social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, while participating in the vote requires users to obtain confirmation from the National Register of Voters in Iceland, and the number of users of the platform has reached more than half of the city’s population, and in In 2021, more than 16,000 users submitted more than 5,800 ideas. The same year saw the launch of Your Priorities, an online platform designed by the Icelandic Citizens Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to develop digital strategies for community engagement, and allows them to propose policies for discussion online.

Finnish game to encourage community participation

The report presents an innovative solution developed by the city of Helsinki in Finland to enhance employee awareness of the importance of community participation. Means of involving community members in their work, from public meetings and focus groups to participation in budgeting.

The launch of the game came with the aim of making the city council more responsive to the aspirations of individuals, and to participate in it, teams consisting of 7-30 people gather around the game board with notes and pens. With the help of a trained moderator, the group selects a challenge to work on and needs to collect more feedback and input from community members. After that, the game moves through a series of phases where the goal is a conversation about how important community participation is. Midway through the game, they are presented with a deck of 200 cards, each featuring a sharing tool used in the past, to help participants decide which tools are best suited for success in the challenge.

Los Angeles Business Portal

The Community Engagement Report identifies an experience developed by the Los Angeles Innovations team, an online business portal with an innovative design, accessibility and ease of use, which has greatly simplified the process of setting up a company in the city.

The portal was launched after consultation with local entrepreneurs and the government agencies with which they interact, with the aim of reducing the average time required to set up a business from six days to just one. Over its first ten months, the new online business portal has attracted more than 60,000 users.

The innovation team in Los Angeles spent a lot of time discussing with many companies to inquire about the nature of the data required to be available on the platform, and also held discussion sessions with many company owners to understand the experience of how to establish companies. Subsequently, discussions were held with relevant government agencies to find out how to simplify the process of communicating and applying for business establishment permits.

Melbourne Commission: City-based advice bodies

The report deals with the experience of the Melbourne Committee, a non-profit organization based in Melbourne, Australia. It was established to mobilize the efforts of companies, academia and organizations to share activities, cooperate and provide advice to the government. More than 150 different institutions are members. The committee’s goal is to maintain Melbourne’s position as one of the best liveable cities in the world.

The committee is managed by a board of directors consisting of 14 members who meet six times a year. Although the committee is considered a body of advice and thought, it works in a way that is more like a pressure group, and seeks to be familiar with all local policies through the use of members from all economic sectors and all categories. Society.

The results of the Melbourne Commission’s work are classified into three categories: cooperation with the private sector, establishment of institutions, and development of government policies. The topics of its work are based on four main axes, including: the future economy, infrastructure, improvement of urban areas, and improvement of livelihoods. The committee has contributed to the development and implementation of many major city projects, such as the redevelopment of the Docklands, the development of Melbourne Airport, and others.

“In Taiwan”: Public Debate of Laws

The report deals with the experience of the “In Taiwan” smart platform developed by Taiwan to activate dialogue with the community in the areas of discussing laws and legislation. The new, they resorted to a new tool for group discussion in search of support and assistance.

The platform represents a space for members of the Taiwan community to interact with the government and participate in providing solutions and proposals for challenges and voting on them. Many improvements have been added to the platform, and in 2019 it was used to discuss several draft laws, and then it witnessed many updates that included a set of open tools. Sources to collect suggestions, share information, and organize surveys. Since August 2018, the platform has been used in 26 cases, and decisive government action has been reached in 80% of them.

Team Tiger: 25 Entrepreneurs Developing Solutions to Calgary’s Challenges

The Community Engagement Report reviews the experience of the “Tiger Team”, which is an “unconventional team” that includes more than 25 entrepreneurs who meet monthly to find solutions to the challenges of Calgary, in western Canada. This experience brings a diverse mix of stakeholders together for two and a half hours in order to understand and analyze complex challenges, come up with ideas, formulate initial solutions and put them to user testing.

By bringing together these diverse opinions, the Tiger Team can work within specific timeframes without wasting any time, and come up with unexpected unique solutions. The team experience is a model of cooperation between members of the same organization to establish an environment that supports and promotes innovation and effective solutions, and works on a different challenge every month.

100×100 Innovative Belgian suggestion system

The report defines the experience of the Belgian city of Ninove by launching the “100 x 100” campaign to encourage the participation of community members in local politics. the next two and submitters will receive specific feedback.

As of the beginning of 2021, 873 people have participated in this project, and 7 proposals have reached the minimum required for discussion by the Council.