Climate change and tech evolution are increasing stress on global infrastructure, but innovation and an eye on the greater good can ensure asset effectiveness far into the future.

Data from space is fuelling growth across industries —and its influence is set to grow. How government and industry collaborate will likely play a role in just how far the industry can go.

Cybercrime against users, businesses, and even nations is growing, but governments and the private sector are pooling information and talent to prevent attacks.

Innovative new approaches and data-backed programs from both the public and private sectors show promise in finding solutions to homelessness and housing insecurity.

Digital tools and new technologies could have a massive impact on how government services are accessed and delivered—if governments can harness them in a way that benefits all citizens. That depends on more then just timely tech investments. Governments around the globe are rethinking how they communicate with citizens, how they handle data, and how they can make services more comprehensible across the board.

In this episode, we speak with Michele Causey and Jean Barroca about the promise and challenges of digital service delivery. Causey served in the US Department of Treasury for several years before joining Deloitte Consulting LP, where she leads the digital government transformation practice. Barroca worked on smart cities, mobility, and open data projects in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa for the World Bank, where he was part of the Innovation Lab team. He now serves as the global public sector digital modernization leader for Deloitte Technology SA. 

Barroca notes that thinking of digital service delivery as simply a tech issue could miss the point: “One of the things that is critical is for governments to stop doing digital and start being digital. And the way for that to happen is that the whole organization revolves around how to create the best experience taking advantage of technology.”

 We look at governments that are making strides in providing digital services, from a state that transformed applying for a business license into a one-stop process, to a nation that brought its citizens together to plan for a postpandemic future. We consider how a life-event approach to service delivery could transform interactions with government, and we talk to someone looking at how to achieve that on a national scale. Finally, we consider the challenges associated with widespread adoption of digital government, and consider how to ensure that digital service delivery does not itself become an obstacle to obtaining needed benefits.