Regaining Trust in Public Institutions

Quist departs from the view that public coordination is undermined by an all too widespread deficiency in seeing the bigger picture. Examples from Sweden’s public sector, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, are highlighted to paint the challenges of public coordination modern societies face today. Quist instead proposes an alternative route:
• A more bottom-up approach is needed in public decision-making
• Encourage research-based experimenting in policy-making
• Introduce neutral arenas where actors can hatch refurbished and innovate reform
• Use policy prototyping to shorten decision-making cycles, especially during crises

In the policy paper, Quist illustrates an example of a Swedish policy lab experiment he himself is involved in, outlining how innovate and effective reform can be developed in practice.