ETGN Summer School on Agile Governance 2023

Programme Description

Building on a successful first edition, the European & Transnational Governance Network (ETGN) is now welcoming registrations for the second ETGN summer school on agile governance.

In times of accelerating technological development, alongside existential risks such as climate change and infectious diseases, agile governance is becoming a “must have” for governments, businesses and international organisations. Being able to anticipate future events, quickly reorganise in times of disruption and adequately respond to fast-changing environments is an essential feature of agile organisations.

Originally developed in the private sector, as an emerging characteristic of thriving organisations, the notion of agile governance has gradually been adapted to the domain of governments and institutions, where it is now inspiring far-reaching reforms, gradually charting the future of government. Since 2020, institutions such as the US Government and Accountability Office and the Government of Japan have adopted initiatives on agile governance; and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and UK signed the world’s first “Agile Nations” agreement at a panel co-organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

This summer school provides an in-depth introduction to agile governance, defined as adaptive, human-centred, inclusive, multi-stakeholder and sustainable policymaking. Trainers and participants will discuss emerging tools such as foresight and horizon scanning, regulatory sandboxes, GovTech solutions, artificial intelligence (AI), policy co-creation, citizen engagement and more.

The summer school will feature lecturers from the ETGN network, governments, international organisations, and the private sector, in an interactive environment which will include moments of debate, groupwork, as well as a rich social programme in Florence and the surrounding areas.

Download the STG Executive Education Catalogue and receive updates on Executive Trainings offered by the School of Transnational Governance.

 

Programme structure

• Day 1: Setting the stage: why do we need agile governance?
• Day 2: Designing agile governance systems
• Day 3: Artificial intelligence, big data, and governance
• Day 4: Democracy and human rights in agile governance

The first day sheds light on the concept and tools of agile governance, joining and comparing the perspectives of agile management, strategic foresight in the public sector, and systems engineering. The second day will feature interactive sessions on designing agile governance systems and fostering entrepreneurial behavior in the public sector, with concrete case studies and groupwork.

The third day will be dedicated to the emerging approaches to the regulation of artificial intelligence and big data; and also to a discussion of how AI and big data can support agile governance through key techniques such as machine learning for predictive analytics. Participants will discuss the opportunities and challenges of deploying AI and big data in government, and possible measures to promote the trustworthy use of these powerful technologies. The fourth and last day will focus on how an inclusive policy process can strengthen government agility by leveraging public private partnerships and engaging with citizens in co-designing future policy.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Describe the notion of agile governance, and the ways in which it can strengthen competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience;
• Compare different approaches to agile governance design, from the business and the public sector point of view;
• Determine how horizon scanning and strategic foresight contribute to a more agile policymaking process;
• Examine opportunities and challenges of AI and big data in government;
• Recognise ways in which effective public-private partnerships and an inclusive policy process can strengthen government agility.

 

Who should attend

• Policymakers at all levels of government;
• Senior and mid-career civil servants;
• Senior staff in corporations delivering public services;
• Early- and mid-career lawyers and economic consultants;
• Staff in tech companies developing tools for government;
• Researchers focusing on tech and governance.

 

A training certificate from leading European policy institutes

The participants of the summer school will receive a training certificate from the ETGN, a network of seven European institutes that offer top-of-the-market executive education for policy professionals.

• Central European University (CEU);
• College of Europe, Bruges Campus;
• College of Europe, Natolin Campus;
• EUI School of Transnational Governance (STG);
• Hertie School – The University of Governance in Berlin;
• Institut National du Service Public (INSP);
• SDA Bocconi School of Management.

 

Previous edition

This summer school builds on the successful first edition that took place in July 2022. The programme brought together 25 participants from organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNESCO, seven different governments, European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and other.

The participants wrote about the course:

• “After attending the summer school I have the tools and knowledge to be less traditional and more goal-focused in my work in public administration.”
• “The summer school exceeded my expectations. I thought it was going to be very scholarly and academic but actually the combination of policy level work presentations, academic work, and case studies captured my attention and provided a tremendous value to learning from different sectors and approaches”.
• “My experience was extremely valuable not only in terms of the content raised by the speakers but also because of the personal experiences brought by the colleagues.”

 

Instructors

The summer school will feature speakers and trainers from the ETGN network, governments, international organisations, and the private sector, in an interactive environment which will include moments of debate, groupwork, and plenty of space for networking. 

• Cameran Ashraf, Professor, Central European University; Head of Human Rights, Wikimedia Foundation; Co-Founder, AccessNow;
• Noora Bin Kalban, Head of Experimental Design at the Mohammad Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation;
• Maria Claudia Bodino, IT Strategy and Planning Officer, Directorate-General for Informatics, European Commission;
• Tommaso Ghidini, Head of Structures, Mechanisms & Materials Division, European Space Agency (ESA);
• Hiroki Habuka, Research Professor, Kyoto University, Graduate School of Law;
• Maja Handijska-Trendafilova, Director, Regional School of Public Administration ReSPA;
• Dimitri Lorenzani, Member of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Mr. Maroš Šefčovič;
• Natalie Maroun, Director of Development at the International Crisis Watch;
• Francesco Menagoni, Technical Innovation Project Manager, Department for Digital Transformation, Government of Italy;
• Olaf Osica, Director of Strategy and Analysis Office of the City of Warsaw and Associate Fellow at the College of Europe Natolin;
• Jasna Poček, Researcher, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano & Center for Innovation Research, Sweden.