Digital Policy

Digital Policy explores the integration of technology in government functions, focusing on improving legislative systems, digital transformation, and the interaction between law and digital systems. It investigates issues like institutional failure, data management, and rules as code, aiming to enhance how governments consume technology for economic stewardship and public service delivery.

Digital Transformation in Government Legislative System Improvements Data Management and Storage Institutional and Systemic Failures Rules as Code Technology in Public Sector Government and Technology Consumption Digital Communication Strategies

The hottest Substack posts of Digital Policy

And their main takeaways

♫ We built this city ♫

39 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
  1. The publication is about Componentisation in the public sector, inspired by techniques like IKEA's shared components.
  2. Exploring government pattern books in unexpected places to build promotion and encapsulation layers.
  3. The post discusses bringing late-modern capitalist techniques to the public sector and looking at existing pattern books.

You better think (tank) think

39 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
  1. The research project by Gordon Guthrie focuses on improving legislative computer systems
  2. There are 33 interim recommendations grouped into 6 major work streams
  3. Various working papers will be published for free on the SubStack platform

Stop the Line

59 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
  1. In lean production, Toyota's approach prioritizes stopping the line to fix defects.
  2. Traditional professions like lawyers and engineers have different approaches to addressing issues.
  3. In government and organizations, empowering individuals to 'stop the line' can improve project outcomes.

Everything seems broken

39 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
  1. Institutional failure is not solved by simply swapping leaders or policies.
  2. The capability of the state has been eroded over time, leading to systemic issues.
  3. Regulated markets are different from unregulated ones, and fake markets can create problems in services and infrastructure.

♫ You see I go by the code of the doctor of the mix ♫

19 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
  1. One major challenge for the modern state is to refocus and adapt to fix issues.
  2. Government operation differs from market services in addressing all customers, including the difficult 20%.
  3. Efforts are needed to design state functions that cater to both simple and complex citizen needs.
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Law code and code law

19 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
  1. Rules-As-Code examines the interaction of law and regulation with Digital Systems.
  2. Test forms generated through Rules-As-Code can save project management overhead.
  3. Techniques explored in the paper can reduce costs and timescales of addressing regulatory challenges.

The CRUDy state

19 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
  1. Data storage techniques have evolved from paper ledgers to mutable digital storage like CRUD.
  2. With the collapse in memory and storage costs, there is a need to go back to ledgers, but in a digital form.
  3. The advancement in technology has made mainframes from the 1980s as powerful as modern-day hearing aids.

A moment of existential doubt...

39 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
  1. The author realized they talked less than their female interviewees, feeling good about it.
  2. They talked 46% of the time with male interviewees, just under 45% with female interviewees, and 51% in mixed interviews.
  3. The author was surprised by the results and felt smug about their speaking time distribution.

Whoa, we're half way there

19 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
  1. The author is halfway through their Research Fellowship.
  2. They are in the process of writing a big blog post series for the Scottish Government.
  3. There will be more posts coming in the following weeks with opportunities for participation.

ChatGPT shit, get GetGPT banged

19 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
  1. Understanding ChatGPT's reasoning involves examining its training data and abilities
  2. Challenges can arise from the way language models process and interpret information
  3. The interactions between AI systems and humans can have complex and sometimes unpredictable outcomes

Fellowship of the Zings!

19 implied HN points • 12 Apr 23
  1. Scotland needs to catch up in digital technology with limited resources
  2. The paper-administrative state is being replaced by digital processes
  3. There is a need to improve how the government communicates digital systems to the public and political class

Stuck in the middle with you

1 HN point • 13 Sep 23
  1. Rules as Code is an interesting concept that uses formal representations of legal rules to create executable code.
  2. Executables from Rules as Code can be used for various state system roles and can help in quick and effective policy development.
  3. Rules as Code also allows for building powerful property tests to solve major digital infrastructure issues.

Going a bit Elton John, me

0 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Policy Legislation Government reform
  1. The writer is finishing their role as a Research Fellow and preparing for a launch event of their final report. It's a big moment for them.
  2. They emphasize the importance of basics when it comes to creating effective public services. Simple, clear systems and communication are key.
  3. There’s a need for better training and engagement between policy and technical teams to ensure policies are effectively implemented using technology.

Jings, an actual discovery

0 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Legislation Infrastructure Research
  1. The research highlights that the modern state lacks proper structures for handling non-functional requirements in digital services. This is important for things like cybersecurity and data sharing.
  2. There's a difference between functional and non-functional specifications in government services. In the past, buildings and processes were separate, but now they need to be integrated to work effectively.
  3. The study emphasizes the need for institutional frameworks to better address the infrastructure requirements of modern digital governance.

Late Soviet Britain is here

0 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
  1. Jeff Allen discusses the difference between 'complex' and 'complicated' in digital government services
  2. Shift focus from 'doing' digital transformation to 'being' continuously improved
  3. Abby Innes critiques the ideological war between classical liberals and anglo-saxon neoliberals in 'Late Soviet Britain'

Help shape the future of the digital state

0 implied HN points • 07 Sep 23
  1. Research project seeks help defining the future of digital state
  2. Project needs input from practitioners to add depth to state model
  3. Opportunities available to attend presentations and support the work

Correct Event Link

0 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
  1. The post had the wrong event link.
  2. The correct event link is digitalpolicy.substack.com.
  3. Apologies for the mistake.