Experimentation is the new” planning” – How to mainstream it in government?
In this session our guest Mikko Annala from a Nordic think tank called Demos Helsinki will explore new waves of public sector experimentation. Over the last few years Finland has elevated experimentation into an official government policy. This has resulted in an intriguing portfolio of strategic experiments, ranging from a nation-wide basic income experiment to improving social and health policies and digitalizing municipal services and mobility. The Finnish government has been promoting “experimental culture” – meaning, replacing some of the traditional linear processes with feedback loops, curiosity, and continuous learning processes.
Demos Helsinki's Governance Innovation Unit has been working closely with the Finnish Prime Minister's Office and several other ministries. In 2015 Demos Helsinki prepared a model for ministry-level experimentation. The model – which gives emphasis to human-centricity and use of evidence – aims to take experimentation into the core of Finnish policy making. Now Demos' team is working on public sector experimentation in Finland and overseas. In this keynote Annala will share his insight to benefits and challenges of mainstreaming experimentation in government.
Demos Helsinki's Governance Innovation Unit has been working closely with the Finnish Prime Minister's Office and several other ministries. In 2015 Demos Helsinki prepared a model for ministry-level experimentation. The model – which gives emphasis to human-centricity and use of evidence – aims to take experimentation into the core of Finnish policy making. Now Demos' team is working on public sector experimentation in Finland and overseas. In this keynote Annala will share his insight to benefits and challenges of mainstreaming experimentation in government.
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Mikko Annala
Head of Governance Innovation and Senior Expert at one of the most influential think tanks in the Nordics. His background is in behaviour science. He has been conducting experimental social psychology in laboratory settings, as well as running behavioural interventions in real-life settings.
He has worked in a leading role in projects that have resulted in tangible operational models, funding structures, and experiments within Finnish governance system. After that Annala has worked with several governments overseas, including Latvia, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Some examples of Annala’s recent work:
Key role in designing experimentation model for the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office and leader in a project, wh…
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