Civic Punks

I finally had a chance to sit down and process last week’s Public Sector Network Government Innovation Week in Melbourne… and there’s a lot that’s still rattling around in my head. From Minister Danny Pearson’s take on the “middle path” for AI, to the growing sense that Agentic AI is about to change the game (for better and worse), this week felt like a glimpse into where government is heading nex...

I recently had the chance to spend a couple of days with one of my favourite Civic Punks, the author and public servant Amber Guette in Wellington, New Zealand. We talked about what public service means to her and what inspired her to write her well-known book: Dear Minister - Letters From a Public Servant. She also gave a sneak peek into her next book that she is currently writing. You can learn...

Have you heard about Agentic AI? If not, you will, it is shaping to be the next major frontier for AI. What is it? How can we be ready for it? These are the questions I posted to Manuel Kilian, the author of the highly influential white paper: The Agentic State. Read it here: https://agenticstate.org/

For this week's Rent Free, I sat down with Brenton Caffin, the founder of States of Change, to learn more about the book that has most shaped his thinking. He chose "Reimagining Organizations" by Frederic Laloux and shared how he has worked to apply its principles in both States of Change and Government.

I’m on a bit of a mission right now: find government projects that actually worked. Not theory but Real impact. And in Adelaide, I think I found one. The Thinkers in Residence program did something pretty unusual… it brought in some of the world’s leading thinkers to work directly with government and help tackle big challenges. I sat down with Brenton Caffin, who saw it up close, to dig into what...

Right now, it feels like we are in a moment focused on austerity. Governments everywhere are cutting their workforce, but is there a danger with this? Nick Scott thinks so. In his recent article, "Why Budget Cuts Without Resource Reallocation Rarely Transforms Systems" he argues that when cuts are rushed or made across the board we end up not with more efficient government but with crappy governme...

Darwin, Adelaide and Sydney are now in the books. Lots of great conversations with super-inspiring Civic Punks. What is sitting with me? Temples, Cuts and Farmer! What does that mean? You will need to watch to find out.

Victoria is at a turning point. Before Government Innovation Week begins, here’s what actually matters: the forces shaping the agenda and what to watch for. Featuring Ross Ashman (PSN Co-Founder) on why this moment matters.

Pia Andrews is one of my all-time favourite Civic Punks, so I jumped at the chance to sit down with her and hear what 3 articles have most shaped her thinking: Death Sentence by Don Watson: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/death-sentence-9780143790983 Tim O'Reilly - Government as a Platform: https://shorturl.at/A8zxG  

Gian Durán shares a key insight from his PhD research in this week's Now You Know. He argues that we are not using the term innovation properly. When we say innovation, we mean one of three things: Rennovation, Innovation or Transformation.   You can read his full article here: https://futuregovforum.substack.com/p/change-is-plural-and-that-should

In another episode of Rent Free—the series where I ask people which ideas live rent free in their heads—I sit down with Charles Mcivor to talk about the article that has most shaped his thinking: “The Housing Theory of Everything.” Written by John Myers, Sam Bowman, and Ben Southwood, the piece explores how housing affordability quietly shapes everything from economic growth to inequality to polit...

Government today is full of tensions. Move fast… but protect democratic accountability. Experiment with new ideas… but keep critical systems stable. Use powerful new technologies… that we don’t fully understand yet. In a fascinating paper called “Signals from Apolitical Day,” the States of Change network looked for patterns emerging from conversations with public servants around the world. What th...

AI is dramatically challenging governments all over the world. Singapore is on the leading edge of this. How are they thinking about AI in Government? What can we learn from them? I reference this fantastic podcast by Ezra Klein on AI, definitely check it out as well: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6obzprTBpR6MosWu5vsua5?si=44ede13d15054d71

I am finally starting to wrap my head around my time in Singapore. It was a week jam-packed full of conversations with people at the centre of reimaging government, and also those who are rebelling against government and building something different on the fringes. There will be more to come, but here are my earliest thoughts.

Have we broken innovation? This is a question that Ian Montgomery explores in his killer article "The New Rules of Innovation." In it Ian explores how we have let innovation become swallowed up by the system and in the process, have it lose its transformational potential. Join me as I go down the rabbit hole with this banger of a Montgomery article. Here is the link if you want to read it yourself...

Hiring is one of the things government seems to suck at. It takes way too long, the salaries are often not competitive, and job descriptions are confusing and not helpful. Yet, if we can't hire well, we are unable to bring in the talent we need to deliver on our ambition, or really anything. In this video, I explore a book chapter by Robert Gordon, Executive Vice President for State Initiatives, e...

Another Public Sector Network - Government Innovation Week is in the books. What did we learn? How is digital sovereignty shaping the conversation? We are going through some of the deepest cuts to public sector jobs in well over a decade. AI was all over the agenda but how did the conversations play out?  In this episode I explore these questions through interviews with people on the ground in day...

I recently came across Rebecca Mbaya’s African Innovators series, which spotlights changemakers reshaping Africa’s tech, data, and AI landscape. It’s thoughtful, grounded, and well worth your time. In this video, I zoom in on her profile of Pombili Paula Haitamba, a data analyst from Namibia. It’s genuinely one of the best pieces I’ve read on what data analysis actually means in practice, not just...

Hi everyone, what an amazing evening to launch the dream that is Civic Punks. My friend Mike was kind enough to record the speech I gave, and I wanted to share it here. Thank you everyone who came to support this project!

What idea has shaped your work for decades? For Ryan Androsoff, it’s Wiki Government by Beth Noveck. In this conversation, Ryan shares how that book continues to influence his thinking on digital government, collaboration, and reform in Canada. Some ideas don’t just inspire you. They rewire you.

What if government were your new best friend? A companion who walked with you and made your life easier and better. Anticipating your needs and pointing you towards supports and opportunities, not to sell you things but to help you with your own goals. Helping launch my new series - Now You Know, an exploration into the debates and ideas shaping the future of government - is the reflection from on...

Public Sector Network’s Digital Leadership Day for the Government of Canada is officially in the books. So what happens when you put 100+ senior public servants and partners in a room and ask one deceptively simple question: What does digital leadership actually look like in Canada right now? You get sharp debates. Honest reflections. A few uncomfortable truths. And, thankfully, a lot of practical...

This is the question Becky Miller asks in her blog series that made waves in the UK this fall. This is my short reflection on this series and why I think everyone should read it. Don't take my word for it. Check out the series here: https://medium.com/ghs-government-human-service/introducing-ghs-780df7abd537

2024 was a global reckoning. Across countries and political divides, voters sent the same message: government isn’t working — and it needs to change. But change to what? In this launch episode of Civic Punks, Derek Alton explores one of the most important questions of our time: what does better government actually look like — and who is building it? For 17 years, Derek has worked inside and alongs...