Frustrated by public sector inefficiency, citizens often wonder: why can’t government be run like business? Open data advocates argue that’s the wrong question.
Government doesn’t need to, nor should be run like Silicon Valley. In fact, at CA Fwd’s Long Beach Regional Data Forum, former Code for America co-executive director Abhi Nemani joked that since becoming the City of L.A.’s Chief Data Officer, he now knows for certain government can’t be run like a business.
Instead, Nemani argues, that innovative solutions lie at the intersection between government and startup thinking. Government can improve both efficiency and responsiveness by leveraging technology and applying the innovation and agile thinking of the startup community to solve public sector challenges, Nemani says.
Watch the video above to find out how California governments fair in applying lean startup principles and methodology to government practices and programs.
Next month, leading public sector and private developers of government transparency tools will gather at CA Fwd’s 2015 Summit on Data to explore how to elevate the use of open data across state and local jurisdictions to advance critical policies. The event, which will be in Sacramento on March 18, aims to stimulate innovation, promote the adoption of technology, and evolve public policies to enable technology-driven improvements. Register here.
