Government Unstuck

The accumulation of institutional, regulatory, and procedural complexity constrains governments’ capacity to deliver results, and business and citizens’ ability to interact with government. Internal complexity slows decision making, fragments responsibilities, raises co-ordination costs, and frustrates citizens and businesses.

If governments are to get unstuck, they will need to move beyond incremental streamlining and pursue radical simplification: re-engineering structures, processes, and accountability frameworks around clarity, speed, and delivery. For people, this means a government that is accessible and understandable. For government, it means the capacity to take timely decisions and deliver meaningful results.

Radical simplification spans regulatory, service delivery, and administrative dimensions, eliminating friction and duplication while strengthening transparency and accountability.

Key elements include digital technologies and AI, a new civil service culture, simplified organisational design, and reengineering services around life events and user journeys.

Restoring governments’ room for manoeuvre in their public finances is essential in order to reallocate resources to the priorities that matter most. In many countries, fiscal space is constrained not only by overall resource levels but also by rigid spending structures, legacy commitments, and weak incentives to shift funding from lower to higher value activities. 

Responding to this challenge requires a strategic and dynamic approach to public budgeting and financial management, including the systematic identification of programmes that deliver less value and the capacity to stop or redesign them in order to reallocate funding for more pressing priorities. 

By strengthening governments’ ability to actively manage, reprioritise and redirect public resources, this pillar aims to unlock funding for innovation and transformation while maintaining fiscal sustainability and public trust.  

Governments struggle to become more proactive and prepared in an era of accelerating change and uncertainty. Technological innovation and evolving conditions are transforming how societies create value, exchange information, and identify risk. In this context, resilience depends on the ability to anticipate trends, prepare for change, protect citizens, and enable society to adapt and maintain cohesion.

Adapting requires governments to become more proactive and better prepared for uncertainty. Digital technology presents opportunities to do this, yet many administrations operate with fragmented responsibilities and disconnected systems. Reengineering the state for the digital age can support a shift from reactive adaptation to proactive stewardship.

Key elements include joined-up data, interoperable digital infrastructure, accountability for AI and cybersecurity, strengthening digital sovereignty, and robust risk management, alongside regulatory capacity and working with citizens to build shared understanding.