Digital Government

The first question is: What will the state of the future look like? Digitalisation creates new possibilities for the organisation of the political-administrative system. The execution of tasks can be supported with intelligent digital tools or even completely automated. Processes can be organised and interconnected more efficiently, effectively and sometimes even completely differently than before. Administrative services can be better adapted to actual needs and personalised. The potential for innovation is huge and growing.

But the reality is often different. Many state institutions were unable to introduce a home office during the Covid-19 health crisis because the infrastructure requirements were lacking. When it comes to e-government buses, most people think of an information bus that travels from city to city. And they don’t want to hear anything about personalised portals for 10 years. That’s why the second question is: How do we get to the state of the future? How do we deal with the situation that growing complexity, acceleration of social change and a mix of technology and anti-institutional narratives are putting increasing pressure on the state? Or do we actually have to ask ourselves a third question: How can we reorganise the state’s guarantee tasks or even democratic processes with technology in an institution-free way?

All articles on Digital Government

Digital inclusion: digitalisation for society as a whole

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In the digital era, inclusion is not only a social necessity , but also a technological one. To ensure that the entire population can benefit…

The Swiss E-ID – between data protection and interoperability

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The Swiss electorate does not want an e-ID that is operated by the private sector. With the vote on 7 March 2021, they sent a clear signal: Responsibility…

Are citizens’ assemblies a key to more political participation?

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The residents of Basel are currently discussing and testing various forms of citizen participation. Most recently, in spring 2024, the Demokratie…

“We need to think about the public service digitally”

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From letters to digital communication - Swiss Post's core business is changing. In this interview, Nicole Burth, CEO of Communication Services…

How forward-looking data governance enables the reuse of data

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"Open government data" is just the beginning. The end-to-end digitalisation of the public sector requires solid data governance with clear roles…

“Federal Council takes the risk of overidentification seriously”

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After the Swiss population rejected the Federal Act on Electronic Identification Services in March 2021 with 64% of votes against, the Federal…
Digitale Stadt Bern

How Bern masters the balancing act between participation and data security

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What opportunities does digitalisation offer Swiss authorities - and what needs to be considered? Jonathan Gimmel, Head of Digital City of Bern,…
Justitia Ret

The Federal Supreme Court, Microsoft and a Christmas surprise

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A few sentences on the freehand awarding of IT services and the moment when a swear word means something positive. Have you ever used a swear…

How cities and authorities are becoming smarter – a podcast episode about transformation

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Chatbots are already supporting some authorities. But overall, the Swiss are dissatisfied with the pace of digital transformation in the administration.…
Istock 846054638 Schulkids

How public procurement supports the digitalisation of schools

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Schools are not just educational facilities. They have evolved into high-tech hubs with huge demands for hardware and software. In their study…

Does “fuzzy voting” increase satisfaction with democracy?

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Anyone who has ever been undecided about whether to write "yes" or "no" on the ballot paper before a vote is in good company: a survey conducted…

With enthusiasm and pragmatism for digital change

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On 1 September, Christian Geiger took up his professorship in Digital Government, Innovation and Transformation at Bern University of Applied…