Future of Government Smart Toolbox

The 'Future of Government Smart Toolbox' explores the intersection of ICT and public governance, arguing that technology can rebuild citizen trust and enhance government performance if deployed as part of a coherent, citizen-focused strategy. The report details how open data, e-government, and social media can dismantle information monopolies to fight corruption, flatten organizational hierarchies to modernize leadership, and improve the accessibility and reliability of public services. It also examines the role of ICT in political representation, the management of civilians in conflict zones, and the breaking down of bureaucratic silos. The document concludes with three foresight scenarios for 2050: 'e1984' (big data and collective security), 'Gated Community' (privatized collective services), and 'CityState' (decentralized authority at the city level).

• Citizen trust in government is characterized by three trends: it is not static and can change rapidly, it varies significantly across different countries and surveys, and it has generally decreased over time.
• ICT can rebuild trust through three primary channels: e-government/e-participation (improving delivery and accountability), open data (increasing transparency and accessibility), and social media (enhancing responsiveness and accountability).
• Technology is transforming leadership by reducing the distance between leaders and followers, flattening organizational hierarchies, and increasing demands for accountability and ethical conduct.
• ICT influences political representation in two opposing ways: it provides a 'voice' for greater citizen representation and engagement, but also enables stronger government oversight through surveillance, filtering, and control.
• To overcome bureaucratic 'stovepiping' and silos, governments should adopt 'whole-of-government' approaches combining strategy, people, and technology, supported by strong leadership and shared ICT platforms.
• In conflict zones, ICT can support civilians through satellite imagery for monitoring, crowd mapping for aid coordination, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for delivering medical provisions and reconnaissance.
• Public sector innovation can be driven by ICT through the creation of new services, improved organizational processes, and the use of public procurement to induce technological advancements.
• The report presents three 2050 scenarios: 'e1984' where big data and collective security dominate; 'Gated Community' where the private sector provides most collective services; and 'CityState' where authority is decentralized to the city level.

APA

Björkman, C., Leoussis, M., Papoutsakis, A., Ventura, L., Hadzilacos, R., Hanley, M., Chantanayingyong, F. M., Brady, A., Kimaoui, K., Cann, O., Siegenthaler, N., Weinzierl, A., Eide, E. B., Larkin, M., Bisanz, P., Beaulieu, D., van der Elst, K., Lang, T., Gleicher, D., ... Burnet, D. (2014). Future of Government Smart Toolbox. World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_FutureGovernment_SmartToolbox_Report_2014.pdf

Chicago

Björkman, Carl, Melita Leoussis, Artemis Papoutsakis, Lisa Ventura, Rigas Hadzilacos, Michael Hanley, Fon Mathuros Chantanayingyong, et al. Future of Government Smart Toolbox. World Economic Forum, 2014. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_FutureGovernment_SmartToolbox_Report_2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{bjrkman2014future, author = {Björkman, Carl and Leoussis, Melita and Papoutsakis, Artemis and Ventura, Lisa and Hadzilacos, Rigas and Hanley, Michael and Chantanayingyong, Fon Mathuros and Brady, Ann and Kimaoui, Kamal and Cann, Oliver and Siegenthaler, Nicolas and Weinzierl, Amelie and Eide, Espen Barth and Larkin, Martina and Bisanz, Peter and Beaulieu, Daniel and van der Elst, Kristel and Lang, Trudi and Gleicher, David and Powles, Kaitlyn and Dusek, Miroslav and Meligi, Manal El and Burnet, Denise}, title = {{Future of Government Smart Toolbox}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_FutureGovernment_SmartToolbox_Report_2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }