Facing increasing fiscal pressures, soaring interest rates and a falling dollar, New Zealand introduced ground-breaking reforms to its entire public sector management in a wave of far-reaching economic and public sector transformation in the 1980s and early 1990s. One critical… Read more
Archives: Public Impact Fundamentals
Buurtzorg: revolutionising home care in the Netherlands
Home care in the Netherlands is provided to the chronically ill, people with dementia, and individuals in need of end-of-life care following their discharge from hospital. It encompasses medical treatment and nursing services, such as dressing wounds and giving injections,… Read more
Barcelona Urban Lab: using the city as a testing ground for innovation
Barcelona is a byword for innovative architecture and design. In 2008, the city council set up Urban Lab, a smart cities initiative within 22@Barcelona, a project of urban transformation in the area of El Poblenou. SMEs propose ground-breaking, sustainable ideas… Read more
The Wigan Deal
In 2010, the British government introduced austerity measures across the country. Wigan, a borough in the north-west, was the third most affected local authority in England. Wigan Council had to deal with substantial budget cuts and devise new ways to… Read more
Waste Management Cooperative: Pune, India
The Solid Waste Collection and Handling (SWaCH) Cooperative Society was formed in 2008 as a public-private partnership to tackle the growing problem of solid waste management (SWM) in the city of Pune, in India. It is a workers’ Cooperative run… Read more
Green Participatory Budgeting: Lisbon, Portugal
In 2008, Lisbon was the first European capital to adopt participatory budgeting at municipal scale, empowering its citizens to use parts of the Council’s budget each year for projects that benefit their community. In line with Lisbon’s increasing interest in… Read more
Community Energy Cooperative: Schönau, Germany
ElektrizitätsWerke Schönau (EWS), a community-owned energy cooperative, was founded through extensive community engagement and mobilisation after a dispute between the local community and the region’s incumbent nuclear power provider. Driven to action in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster,… Read more
FACT: The Netherland’s Flexible Assertive Community Treatment for mental illness (2003 – ongoing)
Facing rising suicide rates and increasing numbers of individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges, the Dutch government has made an effort to introduce a more flexible mental healthcare model. Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) is an innovative, integrated… Read more
Crisis resolution and home treatment teams (CRHTTs) in England
A “crisis in acute care” in England the late 1990s served to emphasise the importance of replacing inpatient mental health treatment with effective community-based alternatives.[1] In 2000, the NHS Plan mandated the establishment of 335 Crisis Resolution and Home… Read more
The Indian Government’s E-Marketplace (GeM)
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a marquee initiative launched by the Government of India to usher an era of e-governance in the nation. India’s public procurement spend stands at ~ 340 bn GBP (~15-20% of its annual GDP) and faces several… Read more