Show Notes
Governments around the world are focusing on how to use technology to deliver better public services, and in this episode of Global Government Forum’s Government Transformed 2.0 looks at how governments can realise the digital to usher in a public health revolution.
In this conversation, Nicholas Gruen and Sherry Glied, professor of public service at New York University, discussed the potential for genetic and DNA testing to provide more personalised public services.
Gruen spoke about the potential of services like 23andMe to be used for preventative and personalised public health services. He described going to San Francisco in 2012 to see Anne Wojcicki, the firm’s former CEO, give a presentation on the service.
The company is a private sector company, but Gruen said he thought about how it has the potential to work in government.
“There was this perfect opportunity. What should happen with 23andme is that the government should pay for the genomic analysis, it should get a copy of the genome, which, of course, it should keep private.”
Broadening the conversation, Glied spoke about concerns that were both economic and political. In America, the idea of government owning information on individuals is problematic, which is a challenge, and, indeed, using genomes “hasn't actually generated as much medical advance as people had thought”.
The conversation also touched on countries that have led the principle and practice of digital government, and how pioneering governments are not just looking at how to give citizens easier access to digital public health services, but proactively making them aware of these services when they reach life milestones.
Listen to this episode to find out:
· The potential for public-private digital partnerships · Challenges in leveraging digital technology in healthcare · The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public trust
Finally, DO NOT MISS your chance to be among the stellar list of delegates and speakers at GGF's flagship UK event, Innovation 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of Government Transformed, Estonia’s minister of justice and digital affairs, Liisa Pakosta, speaks to GGF’s executive editor Richard Johnstone about her country’s digital transformation journey.
In the fifth and final episode of Government Transformed 2.0, David Halpern rejoins Richard Johnstone and Nicholas Gruen to discuss the efficacy of evaluative processes in government, and how public servants can and should be empowered to make better evaluations of public policy.
In the third episode of this podcast series, Richard Johnstone, Nicholas Gruen, and Dan Corry discuss the evolution of government's role in technology regulation – and what it mean to truly embrace technology for digital engagement, collaboration, and transparency.
The second episode of Global Government Forum’s Government Transformed 2.0 podcast discusses the changing nature of public goods in the digital age – and what governments must do to maximise their benefits.
Welcome to Government Transformed 2.0, a podcast series by Global Government Forum.