Apresentação do think tank finlandês Demos Helsinki realizada no GNPapo de 13 de março de 2019. O debate consistiu no papel da experimentação na mudança de mentalidades e na criação de novos modelos de governança para a inovação.Inovaçã

Helsinki, Demos

Leppänen, Juha

Sarkia, Katri

English

Escola Nacional de Administração Pública (ENAP)

Next Era 
Governments -  
Beyond 
Experimentation
Demos Helsinki Juha Leppänen Katri Sarkia
@demoshelsinki @juhaleppanen @katrisarkia
Demos Helsinki is the leading independent think tank in the 
Nordics. We work to solve societal problems and challenges.             
We aim towards a  fair and sustainable society  in which 
everyone can shape the future.
Demos Helsinki always has  two customers  – the one who 
orders the project and the society, which benefits 
from each project. 
Demos Helsinki
OUR WORK supports governments in reimagining and 
reinventing governance for the future world.
WE PROVIDE support in finding new ways to engage with people 
as well as in transforming global challenges into long-term policy 
missions and measurable experiments. 
WE BELIEVE that bringing these changes into the core of public 
governance enables the translation of collective visions about the 
world of tomorrow into reality.
Governance Innovation
Why do we need to 
change the way of 
governance?


Experimental framework 
in Finland –
and what have we learnt 
from it?
The Case 
of Finland
How did experimentation 
find its way into the core of 
policy making?
Core Motives for Creating the 
Experimental State in Finland
“Finnish governance is under 
pressure, so tools of governing 
must be developed to become 
even more efficient and 
targeted.”
Need for trust, 
wellbeing, and 
equality
Scarce 
resources
Wicked
problems
Digitalisation
There was a high-level support for “fixing 
the engine”: OHRA project (2014-15)
1. Can experimental methods, 
design thinking and 
behavioural insights be utilized 
in Finnish policy making?
2. If so, what is the best way to 
incorporate them in the policy 
design process at the highest 
level of Finnish policy making?
Prime Minister’s Office in 2015: Could 
experimentation respond to the challenges?
1. Demos Helsinki and its partner 
Aalto University won the tender
2. Desktop study to review the 
best practices in the world
3. Co-creation process with a 
broad group of Finnish civil 
servants: 10 workshops for 
drafting versions of the model
4. Interview round with politicians 
and experts to validate 
functionality and validity of the 
model
… how the model was (co-)created
Summary of The Finnish Model: 
Co-Design of Policy
The Learning State of Finland: 
Experimentation Framework
EXPERIMENTATION 
MODEL
National model for 
integrating experiments 
into policy-making 
process. The model is 
highlighted by the OECD 
as one of the world’s key 
examples of systemic 
level innovations. 
NATIONAL CODE OF 
CONDUCT
National code of conduct 
for making strategic 
experiments in the public 
sector.
Finland is the only country 
in the world with this type 
ethical code.
DIGITAL PLATFORM 
FOR
EXPERIMENTATION
Digital platform for 
supporting and 
crowdfunding of 
citizen-led experiments 
connected to the 
government’s goals.
EXPERIMENTATION 
PROGRAM
Integrated in 
government program. It 
builds experimentation 
into ministries’ policy 
making functions. 
EXPERIMENTATION
IN LEGISLATION
Experimentation laws are 
implemented, results i.e. in 
allowing driverless vehicles 
to be tested in urban 
conditions.
PORTFOLIO OF 25+ 
STRATEGIC 
EXPERIMENTS
These experiments are run 
by the ministries and their 
agencies. Basic income 
experiment is one of them.
CULTURE OF 
EXPERIMENTATION
Networks and ‘godparent’ 
models to support 
experimenters, day of 
failure to celebrate failure 
experiments.
DECENTRALISED 
NETWORK
There is a central 
experimentation office in 
the Prime Minister’s Office, 
but there are also various 
sectoral innovation labs 
facilitating 
multistakeholder 
collaboration.
Now experimenting with education, 
mobility, employment, arts and health...
Tied to the goals of 
the government
27 policy 
experiments.
Ministries giving 
policy 
recommendations
in 2019. 
Basic Income Experiment
Finland’s experiment in a nutshell:
● Duration 2 years
● Nationwide pilot
● Started  on January 1, 2017.
● Covers 2,000 unemployed Finns 
● Age between 25 and 58 
● Guaranteed sum of 560€ / 
month, which equals average 
monthly unemployment 
benefits in Finland.
● Unemployment benefits were 
replaced
● Payments take place even if the 
recipient works or has other 
income.
Experimentation as a part of the 
Government Program
The 
Government
Programme
The 
Experimentation
Programme
Experiments
Evaluation of 
experimentation 
as part of 
steering 
mechanisms
We have applied the 
learnings from Finland 
with governments 
around the world. 
Some of our innovation projects worldwide
Government of Assam, 
India
Queensland Government, 
Australia
MBR Centre for Government 
Innovation,
United Arab Emirates
Prime Minister’s Office,
Finland
Prime Minister of Latvia and 
Cabinet of Ministers,
Latvia
Icon made by freevectormaps.com 
Finnish National Agency for Education,
Finland
Ministry of Finance,
Finland
UNDP Regional Office,
Egypt
Tanzania Planning Committe,
Tanzania
It’s not just 
experimentation...
IN FINLAND: PHENOMENON-BASED 
LEARNING AND BUDGETING
IN THE EU: MISSION-ORIENTED INNOVATION
Missions provide legitimacy to the EU: we are 
working towards shared goals, together. 
Missions enable cross-cutting policy actions. 
Missions create space for curiosity: Missions don’t 
only help us to achieve remarkable goals but also 
create innovation spill-overs. 
The mission-driven model is promoted for FP9 to 
inspire and legitimate the European science 
scene. It gives direction for research and 
innovation and creates sustainable growth. 
1. Mainstreaming experimentation in government requires mainstreaming an 
experimental mindset. 
2. Solve what can help government to better interact with the rest of the 
society. 
3. Innovation requires ‘boring things’. 
Three lessons learnt along the way
Most important thing is to change your thinking
✖ Long-lasting planning
✖ Avoiding errors
✖ Aim for certainty
✖ Working in sectors
✖ Post-evaluations 
       
✅ Learning by doing
✅ Making use of errors
✅ Dialogue with uncertainty 
✅ Working in ecosystems
✅ Continuous learning
A systematic approach to 
redesigning governance 
is needed.
So, time to go back to our 
title: Next Era 
Governments - Beyond 
Experimentation
Traditional Government
- Policy and service design are challenged by 
increasingly pluralistic and diversified needs.
- Policy approaches are presently fragmented and 
lack alignment.
- Limited utilisation of knowledge networks.
- Planning and execution happens predominantly 
in siloed structures. 
- Primary focus on reactivity and on updating 
existing policies and services.
- Low tolerance for failures in public governance.
Next-Era Government
- Policy and service design are challenged by 
increasingly pluralistic and diversifying needs
VISION-DRIVEN
GOVERNMENT
CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING 
GOVERNMENT
UNBOUNDED
GOVERNMENT
- Policy approaches are presently fragmented and 
lack alignment
- Limited utilisation of knowledge networks
- Planning and execution happens predominantly 
in siloed structures 
- Primary focus on reactivity and updating 
existing policies and services
- Low tolerance for failures in public governance
Building a Vision-Driven, Continuously Learning, 
and Unbounded Government 
Thank you!
Juha Leppänen Katri Sarkia
juha.leppanen@demoshelsinki.fi katri.sarkia@demoshelsinki.fi
https://www.demoshelsinki.fi/en/governance-innovation/


Next Era Governments -  Beyond Experimentation

https://repositorio.enap.gov.br/bitstream/1/3889/1/Demos%20Helsinki.pdf

Next Era Governments - Beyond Experimentation

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