Governments are making significant efforts to develop innovative solutions to improve public services. Governments, from front-line staff to the highest level of public administration, increasingly recognise the importance of focusing on people’s needs, experiences and expectations to design, develop and implement services. This focus enables them to build human-centred public services (OECD, 2024[27]). This report identified five emerging trends that demonstrate the potential of innovation in driving public services towards this goal.
The potential of these emerging trends in innovation in public services is transformative, promising a future where public services are more resilient, efficient, inclusive, data-driven and empowering for citizens. If these trends become the norm, governments will be able to deliver public services that are:
Resilient and forward-looking: Governments will work with users and stakeholders to anticipate future needs and co-design solutions, creating public services that are flexible and responsive to change. By leveraging collective intelligence and employing future-oriented techniques, public services will be guided by a clear, shared and future-proof vision, ensuring their relevance and effectiveness in a rapidly evolving world.
More efficient, thanks to purpose-driven technologies: Governments will use technology to enhance the underlying machinery of public services, leading to greater efficiency and adaptability. Strong technical infrastructure and human resources capable of embracing innovation will ensure that public services benefit from novel solutions and can create value for citizens driving successfully through quickly evolving technological landscapes.
Personalised, proactive and inclusive: Governments will make their public services more personalised and proactive to ensure that they not only meet the needs of but are also accessible, inclusive and empowering for diverse population segments. People (citizens, businesses and organisations) will be at the centre of service design and enjoy cross-channel and seamless solutions that leave no one behind.
Guided by data: Governments will enhance the design, management, delivery and evaluation of public services through the strategic use of non-traditional data sources, experimental approaches and simulations. People will enjoy accurate, timely and effective public services that are closely aligned with their needs and behaviours.
Empowering people and building trust: Public services will be opportunities to allow citizens to be active contributors rather than merely service recipients. By adopting community-based methodologies, participatory practices and human rights approaches, governments will reinforce public participation and democratic values. This will build trust and empower people, fostering a collaborative environment where citizens feel a stronger connection to public institutions and have a direct hand in shaping them.
Promoting human-centred public services, these trends highlight how governments are addressing societal challenges to navigate volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments — all while delivering valuable public services. These trends illustrate how public services are evolving into dynamic, interactive platforms that not only meet peoples’ immediate needs but also engage them in anticipating future scenarios and the continuous improvement of services. Public services are evolving beyond simple transactions between government and citizens. Their significance grows with the development of new institutional structures, the involvement of previously excluded actors, and the formation of novel relationships between government and citizens. This transformation seeks to strengthen democratic institutions, increase public trust, and create a fairer and more participatory society. In this context, innovation is the key means by which governments can meet their challenges, remain relevant and deliver high-quality services.
This report offers a pathway for the future of public services. The Recommendation on Human-centred Public Administrative Services (OECD, 2024[27]) outlines how future public services should look if they are to create value amid technological changes, shifting public preferences and increasingly complex governmental ecosystems. Building on current practices, this report showcases innovation as a key tool for governments to build public services that are more responsive, seamless, inclusive and collaborative. This report builds on the direction set by the Recommendation, examining how governments are translating its principles into action through innovative practices that redefine what’s possible in public services.
The OECD is committed to supporting governments in public sector innovation. Public services are where government policy meets people, where it becomes tangible and creates benefits. Innovating in this field means exploring how novel approaches, tools and solutions can be adopted to create direct value for people. To support governments’ strategies, approaches and interventions in this area, the OECD is providing strategic guidance for innovative approaches to improve public services, with the Recommendation being a major example of this effort. Further, the OECD is supporting governments in identifying and engaging with emerging practices in public service innovation and facilitating knowledge sharing, helping the public administration access key information and expertise, such as tthis report. Finally, the OECD is helping governments build capacities through the exploration, experimentation and implementation of innovative approaches to public services, working on the field to develop the governance, resources and skills to lever innovation for human-centric public services.