Better Public Services Conference: Evidence-Informed Policy and Services
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From: Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
- Published on: 23 September 2014
- Last updated on: 26 September 2024
On Thursday, 5 September, Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform Paschal Donohoe TD opened the Better Public Services Conference: Evidence-Informed Policy and Services in Dublin Castle.
The conference brought together Public Servants from organisations across the country, together with international experts and thinkers, to explore how the Public Service can deliver more effective human-centred policies and services designed with evidence and insights from data and research.
The event was an opportunity to discuss progress and facilitate further collaboration on the Better Public Services - Public Service transformation strategy and was centred around three key themes:
· harnessing data to strengthen policy development and service delivery
· using innovative approaches to drive transformation in policy and service delivery
· achieving impact and building trust and legitimacy
As well as featuring discussion and presentations from Public Service leaders, the conference welcomed internationally recognised authorities on policy and service delivery such as Elsa Pilichowski (Director of Public Governance at the OECD), Dr. Diane Finegood of Simon Fraser University (expert in evidence-led practice and embedding systems thinking), Dr. Lucy Kimbell of University of the Arts, London (speaker on ‘design thinking’ and use of design expertise in public policy) and Dr. Kate Raworth (economist, author and co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab).
Addressing attendees, Minister Donohoe said:
“I am confident that what is explored today will be very valuable in your work delivering better public services. We live in a changing world and one where the pace of change, the pace of opportunity and the pace of difficulty and danger is building.
In order for Ireland to continue to grow, to look after our citizens, and to give them the standard of living in the future that we want to do, your work in the design and delivery of public services is vital. How we use data to understand what we need to do, how we think about the design of public services and how we maintain the trust of all those that we serve will help us navigate our way through the difficult moments and make the most of all of the opportunities that await our country, our economy and our society.”
Elsa Pilichowski, Director for Public Governance at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) delivered the morning keynote address. In it she highlighted many of the challenges facing democratic governments across the OECD countries including environmental issues, the digital transition, demographic changes and inflation.
Drawing on a broad wealth private sector experience, Brendan Dunleavy, Director of Digital Practice at ERGO, shared some of the key factors that he had identified as drivers of success when implementing strategic data initiatives including getting strong endorsement from leadership, identifying key questions and thinking strategically.
Internationally recognised researcher and scholar Dr Diane Finegood, of Simon Fraser University, introduced the area of systems thinking. During her talk she demonstrated the differences between complicated and complex problems, explored how complex problems can be addressed through taking a systems approach and stressed the importance of shifting perceptions and mental models in order to effect systemic change.
Dr Lucy Kimbell, Professor of Contemporary Design Practices at University of the Arts London presented on ‘Design for Public Policy: Opportunities for Public Sector transformation.’ Dr Kimbell shared a number of approaches to design and explored how design processes can overlap with the policy design cycle. The purpose was to show how to orient the policy design cycle more closely to people’s lived experiences.
Economist and co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Dr Kate Raworth, was the guest speaker for the final panel session. Her talk focused on shifting the traditional theories and methods of economics to what she identifies as a more sustainable model: The Doughnut. The Doughnut represents a goldilocks zone between providing for life’s essentials for all of the population without exceeding the ecological limits of the planet.
Each of the speakers was followed by a panel discussion featuring Public Service innovators and change-makers as well as experts from outside the Public Service.
David Moloney, Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, and Reform closed the conference. He praised the ongoing work that is being done by Public Service colleagues across sectors to improve public services in Ireland.
The conference was the third in a series of flagship events organised as part of the Government’s efforts to advance the Better Public Services strategy. Conferences focussed on the strategy’s themes of delivering a Workforce and Organisation of the Future and Digital and Innovation at Scale were also held in Dublin Castle in February and June respectively.
<strong>Find out more about Better Public Services events</strong>