Good Governance because it’s time to think again

This publication has been designed to work like a time machine, complete with an instruction manual providing timelines and context to help us all reflect on our time of crisis. You may notice that we don’t come to many conclusions – apart from that time continues and that every time disaster strikes, it is an opportunity for us to not just recover from disasters, but emerge renewed, transformed, reset or even reborn.

Our 2020 Festival of Governance, Good Governance because it’s time to think again, called for a Renaissance 2.0. Over the festival month, participants had the opportunity to join each other in virtual events in which we consider the future creatively. If the experience of COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that we cannot be certain of what the future holds, but we can choose to approach it with an open mind.

We chose to present the festival in four themed weeks, geared towards participation. In diversity week we learned that there is no diversity without inclusion.

In digital humanism week GGI invited speakers to work with participants to demonstrate how digital systems work better when people at every level of organisations are involved in the design and implementation phases.

The third week of the festival was called community interplay week. Through a set of events, blogs, social media posts and articles, presenters and festivalgoers considered the architecture of a community.

They thought about people, property and systems – and about the existing legal and financial incentives we can use flexibly or change to ensure better outcomes to the health and wellbeing of citizens.

The theme of the fourth week was modern governance. Our annual lecture was the highlight of the week - and indeed the Festival. This year’s keynote speaker, Rob Whiteman CBE, CEO of CIPFA, explored the blurred lines between government, governance, public services and the third sector.

​It is a printed document that every year reviews the scope of good governance and its influence on everyday life.

2020's publication explored a renaissance in governance during one of the most challenging years in recent human history.

The review is built by writers, artists, photographers, researchers, thought-leaders, designers, experts and editors to make for an impactful statement that can be both shared and treasured for generations to come.