2015: A year of public impact
Partnering for Learning
We put our vision for government into practice through learning partner projects that align with our values and help reimagine government so that it works for everyone.
The Centre for Public Impact was launched in June 2015. From Cape Town to Kuala Lumpur, Brasilia to Berlin, we have sought to bring world leaders together to exchange ideas and inspire each other to strengthen the public impact of their organisations. We have no doubt that governments are determined to achieve better outcomes for their citizens - and we are honoured to be playing our part in helping them do so.
Since our launch we have published more than 100 stories of public impact from around the world. Some of the insights on achieving public impact that got us talking included contributions from three former prime ministers - Singapore's Goh Chok Tong, New Zealand's Helen Clark and Australia's Kevin Rudd.
We have also shared insights from senior leaders at global organisations including the World Bank, UN and OECD, as well as conversations with six city mayors, one US governor and a revered anti-apartheid campaigner. We have also been proud to showcase a mix of content from the worlds of business, academia and think tank.
But what were the most highly read stories? Read on to find out…
1. What has ‘behavioural insights' done for us? ‘Behavioural insights' has moved from the fringes to the government mainstream, says Adrian Brown. It's now time to pick up the pace
2. Welcome to the lab. Governments worldwide share an insatiable hunger for that flash of inspiration that can transform public services. To do so they increasingly rely on a lab, a bespoke group of individuals dedicated to driving innovation and impact. We speak to the director of Denmark's MindLab, Thomas Prehn, about this pioneering approach to policymaking
3. Winds of change. Few understand the mechanics of US elections better than Matthew Dowd. A veteran of both sides of the campaign trail, he tells us about his experiences and why change is coming to America
4. DC despatch. While there is much that unites the policymakers of London and Washington, DC, very few among them have worked in both cities' corridors of power. Kate Josephs, however, is an exception. She tells us about her experiences driving performance improvement in both governments - and how she got there
5. BITs and pieces. Governments seeking to maximise their impact don't necessarily have to spend big, says Julia Fetherston. Instead, applying research from behavioural insights can drive huge changes from small steps
6. Measure for measure. For Melanie Walker, overseeing the World Bank Group's delivery unit is more than just keeping score. She tells us why it's really all about a fundamental transformation that aims to free a billion people from the grip of extreme poverty
7. Regulatory policy: the untapped lever of economic growth. Governments should do more to improve the design and delivery of new laws, as even small efforts to fix regulatory shortcomings can have a tangible positive impact on economic activity and well-being, explains the OECD's Rolf Alter
8. Betting the farm. Transforming Ethiopia's agricultural sector was never going to happen overnight, says Patrick Hayden. But real progress is under way - he explains how a new transformation agency is making a positive impact
9. Striving for scale. Clean water, deworming a whole community - Evidence Action is leading the charge to deliver evidence-based development interventions where need, opportunity and impact collide. Its former executive director, Alix Zwane, tells us about their progress in scaling impact so far
10. Helping governments govern. The ultimate test of any government policy is whether it makes the difference it sets out to achieve, says Adrian Brown. BCG's new Centre for Public Impact will be dedicated to helping improve how governments achieve their objectives.