DEMOS

• Podcast: Collaboration Nation Another Friday, another podcast. This is a Simon Parker, Head of Public Services at Demos, discussing a collection of essays we published in March this year titled the Collaborative State. While competition and choice have been the watchwords in public services of late this collection argues that if we want to sustain improvements into the next decade, then we need a new generation of reform that builds on experiments with collaboration between both different parts of the public sector, and... continue reading Posted by Charlie Tims on 6th July 2007 in Demos Podcasts
• Second Service Next week is the launch of a collection of essays titled “Unlocking Innovation” about user-driven innovation edited by Simon and Sophia Parker (not related). It seemed like a good time to stream a lecture that Simon gave back in April to a Swedish delegation at Demos, about making public services more democratic. In the lecture Simon gives a thumbnail sketch of the concept of Everyday Democracy and asks whether the private sector is capable of working with these principles. His... continue reading Posted by Charlie Tims on 4th July 2007
• Nano a Mano I have been dilatory in blogging the Nanodialogues pamphlet, which we launched on Tuesday to a packed crowd. I've just returned from Utrecht, where I was speaking to a meeting of the Technology Assessment arm of NanoNed, the interdisciplinary network that runs the Dutch approach to nanotechnology.  I told them that we had nothing of the sort in the UK, following the government's lack of support for nano social science. They responded that the UK grass looked greener: the UK is still seen... continue reading Posted by Jack Stilgoe on 4th July 2007 in The Nanodialogues
• "Glasgow - we'll set about ye" After the July 7th attacks the internet rearguard came in the form of we are not afraid. In Glasgow it's come in the form of www.johnsweaton.com, a tribute site to the baggage handler who on seeing a burning man attacking a police officer said to himself "what's the score, I've got to get this sorted" and set about the assailant. On the site you can watch his interviews (i'll try and embed one here) - but more importantly you can use paypal to buy him a pint at the Holiday Inn next... continue reading Posted by Charlie Tims on 3rd July 2007 in Glasgow 2020
• Unlocking Innovation launch So it's only a week to go until me and Sophia launch our new collection on public service innovation - more details here. The book is a really nice mix of writers including Ed Miliband, Geoff Mulgan and Paul Coen tackling the vexed question of how we can put service users at the heart of the way the public sector innovates and improves. There are also loads of practical examples of user focussed innovation in action.We're being joined for the launch by the new local government minister, John... continue reading 3rd July 2007
• The devil is in the detail In February Demos published a report making the case for a national security strategy. Among the 12 or so recommendations the report suggested that the Government:
  * Create a national security strategy
  * Create a ministerial committee on national security under the instruction of the  Prime Minister
  * Provide an annual report on the implementation of the strategy to Parliament
  Gordon Brown has committed the Government to implementing all of the above. continue reading Posted by Charlie Edwards on 3rd July 2007
• Search me... We're holding an event with Google next Thursday evening at their offices in Victoria. We'll be talking about what's happening to privacy online.
  
  The discussion should touch on some really timely challenges and opportunities. As we do more and more online, large amounts of information about us is created and captured. Much of that underpins the spirit of coolaboration and openness of online life. But what are the implications for the rich values that our sense of privacy embodies? continue reading Posted by Peter Bradwell on 29th June 2007 in For Your Information Private Lives?
• Machinations of Government Until yesterday, this was the DTI. The sign has now been unscrewed. Inside, there are makeshift logos for the new departments of business, enterprise and regulation reform (can't find this online yet) and innovation, universities and skills. From today, select staff will scatter to the four winds in their priuses, to be replaced with civil servants from education. Science will stay in the building. But it will be tied to innovation and education rather than business. DIUS, which yesterday had... continue reading Posted by Jack Stilgoe on 29th June 2007
• Nanodialogues Podcast We have resuscitated the podcasts. There are now three different types. More about that on the podcast page. In the meantime Jack Stilgoe cranked out another pamphlet this week about the relationship between science and people. Here he is lucidly talking through his public engagement experiments that bought groups of people together with scientists to discuss the implications of nanotechnology. The report argues that public engagement in science means that scientists need to answer difficult... continue reading Posted by Charlie Tims Jack Stilgoe on 29th June 2007 in Demos Podcasts
• The Politics of Public Behaviour seminars, 10th July and 19th July Just a quick post to flag up two roundtable seminars that we are running on The Politics of public behaviour. The blurb and details for the seminars are below – drop me an email if you would like to come along and i'll add you to the list. continue reading Posted by Duncan O'Leary on 27th June 2007

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