Over the past few months a movement has been gaining strength across the country. Cities like Washington and, most recently, New York, have been turning to young, tech-savvy innovators to do what they do best, dream up new things--but for the public good. Washington's had an Apps for Democracy contest, and New York the NYC Big Apps competition (which announced its winners last week), in which private citizens have been challenged to develop user-friendly digital applications using city data, a project that has the benefit of making government more transparent and accessible to its constituents.
This kind of public-private mash-up makes sense in an increasingly digital, highly globalized economy. For quite some time we in the private sector have been discussing the economic implications of the rise of Asia as new technologies reduce barriers to entry in many fields. In the public sector, too, the need to do things quicker, faster and better is becoming an issue, as economic development officials seek out ways to do more with less in the greatest recession in more than half a century.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Governments Are Finally Learning About Real Innovation - Forbes.com
Author: Sir Martin Sorrell
