Digital Governance Lab is an open-ended platform and initiative by the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance to develop public governance models and frameworks for the Digital Age.
In the Digital Age, public sector innovation is not merely digitalization of specific public sector functions or services. It is about critical analysis of basic foundations and processes of governance to find a sustainable balance between public sector stability and agility.
There is no better place than Estonia – one the most digitally open-minded countries in the world – to research these issues.
We focus on developing dynamic capacities for co-creation and collaborative forms of governance in the Digital Age
We shift the focus from mere user-centricity of services towards citizen-centricity of the digital governance system
Next to efficiency and user-centricity, we focus on trust and citizen satisfaction as the key values of digital governance
Challenges to state modernization in the 21st century: we map and analyze the main global trends in economics, governance and technology that will influence the evolution of modern governance systems
Innovation capacities in the public sector: mapping and analysis of organisational designs and managerial capacities that create and sustain such capacities
The usability and cost-effectiveness of the e-government services, such as e-voting, open-data and public sector co-creation and citizen engagements initiatives
The Once Only Principle Project: we pilot and analyse the feasibility of applying one of the main ‘soft’ innovations of the Estonian e-government – the principle of requesting data once only – across EU member states and their borders
Open Government Intelligence: we create and pilot applications that allow citizens to use open data to participate in the co-creation of public policies and services
SOHJOA Baltic: together with the city of Tallinn, we are integrating a self-driving bus to the public transport system of Tallinn and analyse the possibilities of how this technology can facilitate the creation of new public services and value
Together with the leading European universities (KU Leuven and University of Münster), we train public sector innovation and e-governance experts with unique interdisciplinary and international experiences. Read more.
A globally unique MA program that combines research streams of economic development, innovation and governance to train experts who understand current and future techno-economic development trends. Read more.
The program allows people to start their academic career and become top-level experts in scientific research and analysis. The PhD students can collaborate with the top scholars of the Lab on the ongoing Research and Innovation projects. Read more.
