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Description
It is often heard that governments are "transforming themselves" with digital technology, in terms of processes relating to policy formulation, service delivery and implementation. But what prompts these transformations? Are they responses to technology fads, or driven by more fundamental strategies? If the latter, are the motivations primarily about exercising control, optimising resources, responding to citizen needs or some combination of these? And how do these motivations link to the broader strategies adopted by these governments? This talk explores these questions in relation to Singapore and its "Smart Nation" project, which aims to broaden and deepen technology use in the economy, society and public sector agencies.
Speaker Bios
Aaron Maniam is a Singaporean policymaker, having served in the Foreign Service, as Head of the Centre for Strategic Futures at the Prime Minister's Office, Director of the Institute of Public Sector Leadership and Senior Director for Industry at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, focused on how different interaction dynamics between governments and IT companies influence national digitalization programmes. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Agile Governance, and curator of the Forum's Transformation Map on agile government. He has published two collections of poetry and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.