Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Strong institutions: promoting public innovation and digitalization
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is to strengthen the public sector regarding their capacities for public innovation and digitalization.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
Building solid institutions is crucial for achieving development goals since institutions play a central role in creating the environment necessary for sustainable development. Institutions are the formal and informal rules, norms, and practices that shape social and economic behavior, and they are essential for creating a stable, predictable, and transparent environment for individuals, businesses, and governments to operate within.
Solid institutions are the foundation for economic growth, social well-being, and environmental sustainability. Without strong institutions, development efforts may be hampered by corruption, instability, and lack of trust in government, which can undermine progress and hinder sustainable development.
There are two ways in which we want to contribute to the construction of public institutions: i) public innovation and ii) digitalization.
By digitalization we are mainly focus on digital public services. Digital services are crucial for promoting good governance in today's increasingly connected world. By improving transparency, accountability, public service delivery, civic participation, cost savings, and resilience, digital services can help governments to better serve their citizens and achieve sustainable development goals.
In the other hand, public innovation, public innovation is essential for good governance because it helps to address complex challenges, improve public services, promote collaboration, enhance efficiency and effectiveness, and foster public trust. By embracing innovation and exploring new ideas and approaches, governments can better serve their citizens and achieve sustainable development goals.
We have three actions to contribute to the generation of strong institutions.
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab is the first national citizen innovation lab in Ecuador, and it is one of the commitments of Ecuador´s Open Government Partnership Action Plan 2019 - 2022. This Lab aims to generate an agile dynamic between government and citizens to strengthen citizen´s confidence in public administration and jointly solve problems that jeopardize social welfare.
Action 2: My Future is Today is a platform that seeks to incorporate the young population in conditions of economic informality into the contributory and non-contributory social protection system, promoting decent employment.
Action 3: Finally, the Digital Readiness Assessment, is being deployed with the Ministry of Telecommunications, with the aim of providing the government with indicators and a clear path to push towards a more digitalized and inclusive Ecuador.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
Latin America has struggled with high levels of unemployment and public debt, restraining the States’s possibilities to deliver quality public services and to reinforce inclusive and sustainable development. People from countries all over Latin America are increasingly losing trust in their governments. However, citizens are calling for their government´ transparency and accountability and for increase participation in the policy making process. In this context “open government” has gained great importance. So Open Government Partnership provides to LAC countries a common framework to improve public services, increase public integrity, manage effectively public resources, create safe communities, and increase accountability.
https://www.oecd.org/gov/open-government-policies-in-latin-america-9789264223639-en.htm
https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/ecuador-design-report-2019-2021/
https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/40301/4/S1501357_en.pdf
Action 2: My Future is Today
Over the last decade, Latin America and the Caribbean has become increasingly digitalized, with the spread of internet use to roughly three-quarters of the population, a rapid proliferation of smartphones. Digital communications, online shopping and social media have transformed the way most people in the region socialize and do business.
But in areas where the governments affect citizens’ lives—areas ranging from education and healthcare to fiscal matters and public administration—Latin America and the Caribbean still lags behind developed countries in offering digital applications that could improve public services, drive development, and improve social welfare. That is unfortunate. Digitalization offers unique opportunities for delivering public services at low cost and on a large scale. The good news is that the region can make rapid progress in these areas by developing and deploying digital public services, using technologies such as apps, SMS, and videos to attain vital goals. Moreover, it can do so even with limited resources by identifying opportunities with high social value and prioritizing those digital interventions that are both highly effective and stand up to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis.
https://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/poor-digital-access-holding-latin-america-and-caribbean-back-heres-how-change-it
https://blogs.iadb.org/ideas-matter/en/digitalizing-public-services-to-improve-lives-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/
https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/48461/S2200897_en.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
Considering Digitalization's impact in our world, UNDP has set as one of its key objectives to enable digital development in all its country offices, with partners and governments. To do so, the Accelerator Lab in Ecuador has been working with UNDP´s Chief Digital Office to implement the Digital Readiness Assessment and the Ministry of Telecommunications. Digital Readiness Assessment (DRA) is a diagnostic tool created by the Chief Digital Office to support Governments and Country Offices in conducting a rapid assessment of the country's advancement in digital transformation, providing scoring and recommendations across pillars of government, regulation, digital infrastructure, business environment and people/ skills.
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
idem
Action 2: My Future is Today
idem
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
In our first kick-off meeting with the Ministry of Telecommunications of Ecuador, the Minister and its team emphasised how the country did not have indicators or a high-level framework/study to foster digitalization. In that regard, there are a lot of independent studies and data from diverse stakeholders that have not been summed up together. For these reasons, it became necessary and urgent to implement the Digital Readiness Assessment with the support of the Chief Digital Office.
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
The value of a citizen lab is that it provides a platform for citizens to participate in solving real-world problems through data-driven research and innovation. It provides a platform for citizens to collaborate and co-create solutions to public problems in their local community. This can help to build trust between citizens and their local governments, as well as create a sense of ownership and pride in their community. Citizen labs also provide a platform for citizens to become more engaged in the decision-making process, as well as foster greater transparency and accountability in government.
Action 2: My Future is Today
The value proposition of a digital platform that provides young people with employment instruments, information about labor rights and pension culture is that it provides young people with the tools and information they need to make informed decisions about their future employment and financial security.
The platform emphasizes the job opportunities that are available to young people. It shows the advantages and disadvantages of different job options and provide resources such as job postings and career websites so that they can explore their options. It also provides resources to help them understand the labor laws, regulations, and other important aspects of the job market. Furthermore, it can help young people to create a financial plan and create a retirement savings strategy. Finally, it can provide financial education and guidance to ensure young people make the best decisions for their future.
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
Our unique value proposition is to put together a country study that encompasses all the knowledge that is dispersed in the local ecosystem. Moreover, by working on mainstreaming digitalization with the Ministry of Telecommunications, UNDP and its Accelerator Lab will be able to further work on learning cycles to take advantage of opportunities and tackle challenges that will be clearly identified with the DRA.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
Thinkia: citizen lab working space that generates agile dynamics between citizens and the government to reduce distances and jointly solve problems that put social welfare at risk.
Action 2: My Future is Today
Mi Future is Hoy
fulfills a double functionality. On the one hand, it allows young people to
have access to a set of relevant tools to improve their informal labor
situation. On the other hand, it collects information from users in an ethical
and secure manner and makes it available in an open data format for policy
makers working for the benefit of youth.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
Secreatariat of Higher Education (lead)
Ombudsman's Office (consortium of actors)
Municipal Public Company for Management and
Competitiveness (consortium of actors)
San José Municipal Patronage Unit (counterpart)
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
Ministry of Labor
Action 3
Ministry of Telecommunications and the Information Society
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
- Secreatariat of Higher Education
To guarantee Thinkia´s sustainability we have the Secretariat of Higher Education and Innovation on board to take the lead; thus, Thinkia became a public intervention receiving public funds each year.
- Ombudsman's Office - Municipal Public Company for Management and Competitiveness
To operate the Lab, we convened a group of diverse participants from academia, the public sector, and civil society organizations to co-manage, co-fund, and jointly implement Thinkia´s agenda. This consortium of participants gets elected every two years and UNDP is part of it (2023 – 2025).
- San José Municipal Patronage Unit
We guided the implementation of a social lab for San José Municipal Patronage Unit in Quito and co-led its first public innovation process that aims to improve the service given to homeless people. This is a clear example of Thinkia´s role as “trainers of trainers”.
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
My Future is Today has been handed over to the Ministry of Labor so that this platform is used as a main instrument of the public policy for youth employment.
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
Ministry in charge of fostering digital transformation in Ecuador.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
OpenlabEC
Datalat
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Both of these institutions are part of Thinkia´s consortium of actors.
OpenlabEC works on open culture and knowledge.
Datalat works on open data.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
School of Government and Public
Administration of the Institute of High Studies
FLACSO Science, Technology and Society Lab (academia)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Academia
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Both of these institutions are part of Thinkia´s consortium of actors.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
Camber of Innovation and Techonology
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The main body that represents the technology private bussiness in Ecuador.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
How do you go from a citizen lab in Ecuador to a regional/global toolkit on public innovation (cross-country product)?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Grow
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
By tapping on collective intelligence at the global/regional level we want to create a public innovation toolkit. This would be a process of co-creation to generate a toolkit for a bigger audience based on the work already done by each country on public innovation. To create the toolkit there will be a constant conversation between the “offer” and “demand” to make sure that we generate a product based on a user centered design. Ecuador hopes to lead this exercise and share as an input how to create a citizen lab and its management model.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
At this point, the network has not yet done a toolkit on public innovation based on the Lab´s work on this theme and lead by a group of Labs.
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
Action 2: My Future is Today
Does Mi Future is Today provides relevant tools for young people to improve their working conditions? Does the platform generate enough information of young people to be considered a source of information for youth policy?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Action 2: My Future is Today
We want to pilot the platform to know whether the it offers relevant tools for young people to improve their working conditions and generates enough information of young people to be considered a source of information for youth policy.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Action 2: My Future is Today
We want to find out whether the platform is useful for the user.
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
Can we move toward a more digital and inclusive society by identifying challenges and opportunities in a collective way?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
For the DRA, collective intelligence is paramount, given that the survey applied to sectorial leaders brings to the table the acummulated knowledge of experts from different sectors of Ecuadorian society.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
This new source of data adress two factors 1. integrate the dispersed knowledge that the ecosystem already has 2. recollect the knowledge that sector leaders have regarding digitalization.
To answer this learning question, using sensemaking and collective intelligence to put together the DRA country study is fundamental, given the nature of the methodology. To get the knowledge of over 150+ experts from different sectors of society ads tremendous value to the sensemaking process that the literature analysis provides.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
Action 1: Thinkia - citizen lab
To guarantee Thinkia´s sustainability we have the Secretariat of Higher Education and Innovation on board to take the lead; thus, Thinkia became a public intervention receiving public funds each year. Thinkia has already scale at the national level, now we want to test how to do it at global/regional level.
Action 2: My Future is Today
My Future is Today has been handed over to the Ministry of Labor so that this platform is used as a main instrument
of the public policy for youth employment.
Action 3: Digital Readiness Assessment
The main ally is the Ministry of Telecommunications which will be a crucial stakeholder in mobilizing funds and taking the following steps after implementing the DRA.
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9Industry, innovation and infrastructure
16Peace, justice and strong institutions
17Partnerships for the goals
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