The World Public Sector Report 2023 examines the role that national institutional and governance innovations and changes that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic can play in advancing progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The consequences of the pandemic and its aftermath threaten to further derail progress on the 2030 Agenda and make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more difficult to achieve in the short and medium terms. Yet the pandemic also sparked rapid innovation in government institutions and public administration that could be capitalized on; positive changes were observed in the internal workings of public institutions and in the way they interact with one another and broader society, including through public service delivery. Against this backdrop, the report focuses on three main questions: How can Governments reshape their relationship with people and other actors to enhance trust and promote the changes required for more sustainable and peaceful societies? How can Governments assess competing priorities and address difficult policy trade-offs that have emerged since 2020? What assets and innovations can Governments mobilize to transform the public sector and achieve the SDGs? The report addresses them in chapters composed of short overviews followed by a set of in-depth contributions from a wide range of experts which examine institutional changes observed in different contexts, sectors and policy processes and explore the potential of those with a positive impact on the achievement of the SDGs to be sustained beyond the pandemic. The report aims to draw attention to institutional change as a key component of the societal transformations required to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Report is avaliable here
