Governments, technology and innovation: welcome to our new series - The Guardian

Welcome to the Guardian’s global public leaders hub. Over the next few months, supported by KPMG, Guardian journalists and freelances will be taking an in-depth look at the use of technology by governments around the world.

In a rapidly-changing world, fuelled by tech innovation, governments face a number of challenges that will require both more agile, short-term responses but also longer term, more strategic thinking, beyond the changing priorities of electoral cycles.

As people around the world live longer, public bodies face the challenge of providing services for all, usually against a backdrop of reduced public budgets. But technology changes in a wide range of our lives, especially transport and health, mean governments are playing catch-up on policy.

Now, more than ever, governments need to use technology in the most effective ways. The challenge they face isn’t just about investing in the right systems or apps; it’s also about cultural barriers and how to bridge the gap between the world of hipsters and public servants. Most tech startups are small and agile. Most government organisations tend to be more hierarchical and risk-averse. How can these two cultures come together to create better systems for citizens and businesses? And how can governments compete to hire and retain the tech skills they need, when they can’t compete with private sector salaries or perks?

From now until the middle of April 2017, we’ll be looking at how public bodies can best approach these challenges and highlight case studies from around the world.

We’ll be asking our readers to contribute to the series, too, with their own thoughts and comments on this vital area. If you want to contribute, drop us a line at public.leaders@theguardian.com

Talk to us on Twitter via @Guardianpublic and sign up for your free weekly Guardian Public Leaders newsletter with news and analysis sent direct to you every Thursday.

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