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Session to seek solutions for trends and risks facing governments
Salzburg Global Seminar will convene a select group of senior officials representing some of the more dynamic central governments from six continents at Schloss Leopoldskron this weekend for In the Spotlight: How Can the Public Sector Excel Under Changing Dynamics?
Joined by global thought leaders from the private sector and civil society, bringing expertise on new technology, communications, and behavioral science, participants will consider new ways to push forward creative and progressive solutions.
Now in its sixth round, the Public Sector Strategy Round Table moves to the secluded and inspirational environment of Salzburg Global’s home at Schloss Leopoldskron, where participants will engage in an open and candid exchange of ideas among peers from geographically and economically diverse countries which lead the world in public service innovation.
Salzburg Global will hold the Round Table for the first time on June 10-12, becoming a politically- and geographically-neutral host, working in a newly-established partnership with the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court and apolitical, a global impact network for governments.
Interactive debate and hands-on problem-solving will take place under the Chatham House Rule. The format will involve country comparisons, scenario-modeling, practical gamification, role-playing exercises, and debate. Participants will be encouraged to form robust and sustained international networks with their counterparts from around the world.
Participants will consider the priority challenges facing the public sector – both immediately in 2017 and strategically looking toward 2030. They will explore the impact of new technologies (artificial intelligence, robotization, and the digital revolution), how to adapt education for a new age, and the implications on the future of work, including what this all means for social cohesion. Through the lens of behavioral science, they will seek to enhance governmental approaches to human-centered policy design and delivery. Ultimately, they will also ask how the governments (and partners in civil society and the private sector) can pay for tomorrow’s world.
The notion of learning not just from “best practices” but also from past mistakes will strengthen approaches to system failure and recovery, reaffirming public sector resilience and renewal. Participants will debate the role of the strategic center of government, and the most efficient ways of communicating with citizens in an “infobesity” era with often too much information and “alternative facts.” Governments increasingly need skills and capabilities which are external to the public sector, so discussion will also focus on radical new trends in public partnerships with the private and philanthropic sectors, as well as systems to design and manage appropriate collaboration and implementation approaches.
The purpose of this session is to allow participants to identify barriers which stop the public sector from effectively addressing challenges. It will help them develop and implement policies which better meet the needs and expectations of the public and deliver better outcomes.
Speaking ahead of the session, Salzburg Global Program Director Charles Ehrlich said, “Citizens have turned the spotlight on governments, expecting increasingly more while public budgets shrink and new challenges constantly arise. Keeping their heads down and hiding from the spotlight will not help public officials to serve their citizens’ needs.
“Public service has not fundamentally changed over time – the tools have. We have assembled leading strategic thinkers from around the world, from the centers of government and across sectors, to anticipate new trends and to seek ways to together take the lead.”
Salzburg Global Seminar is convening In the Spotlight: How Can the Public Sector Excel Under Changing Dynamics? the sixth meeting of the Public Sector Strategy Round Table, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court and apolitical. More information on the session can be found here.