Just over a year ago the CPI team published our vision for better government. This vision was inspired by the growing movement of changemakers around the world who are pushing beyond the current debate about what government does… Read more
Type: Blog
Learning as a strategy to improve national education – insights from the Finnish National Agency for Education’s Innovation Centre
At CPI, we have been exploring Human Learning Systems (HLS) as an emerging approach to public sector management, analysing many examples from the UK and elsewhere in the world. We were particularly intrigued by an experimental programme… Read more
What is ‘community’ and why is it important?
The following thoughts are a brief summary of my PhD. The PhD was written in the 1990s but its central theme — the use and misuse of the term “community” in politics — seems not to have gone away. So, for what it’s worth,… Read more
Is there really a place for systems thinking in government? What we’re hearing from thought leaders
As we hurtle towards the end of 2020, now feels like a good time to stop and look back at the year that has been; a year of disruption and pain, but also innovation and opportunity. To support this process… Read more
Progressive Thinking: Ten Possible Futures for Public & Community Services
This piece was first published by Public Service Association New Zealand here as part of their webinar series on Ten Possible Futures for Public & Community Services, and will be published as a chapter in… Read more
Social Capital: What, Why, and How we can use it as a tool for empowerment
Right now, Black and allied voices are demanding justice and change from our communities, our systems, and our governments. The battle for racial justice and equality has not, is not, and will not be a short one. For generations, Black… Read more
The Broken Social Contract
Immediately after seeing George Floyd’s death, I was overcome by a wave of nihilism. Being stuck inside due to a pandemic that was killing people who looked like me while simultaneously being reminded that to many my life… Read more
Human Learning Systems: A Complexity Friendly Approach to Public Services
The Centre for Public Impact’s Manifesto for Better Government talks about the importance of complexity, human relationships and continuous learning. How can Governments put these ideas into practice? What are the implications for how public services work? This… Read more
The Preston Model of Community Wealth Building in the UK
For many years until recently, Preston had consistently failed to deliver its full economic potential. It attracted very little inward investment between 2004 and 2008 and suffered after the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent austerity measures. In 2013, Preston… Read more
12 Top Tips: How governments can find their legitimacy
Governments are under increasing pressure to understand and respond quickly to people’s needs and to their rapidly changing lives and expectations. Digital access has offered a great way to respond to this at a service level but is only part… Read more