Administrative Capacity-Building (FR0038)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: France Action Plan 2018-2020
Action Plan Cycle: 2018
Status: Active
Institutions
Lead Institution: Minister of State for the Digital Sector, attached to the Prime Minister
Support Institution(s): Ministry of the Interior; Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition; Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; Ministry for Territorial Cohesion; Ministry of Economy and Finance; Ministry of National Education; Ministry of Culture
Policy Areas
Capacity Building, Legislation & Regulation, Legislative, Private Sector, Science & TechnologyIRM Review
IRM Report: France Design Report 2018-2020
Starred: Pending IRM Review
Early Results: Pending IRM Review
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Civic Participation
Implementation i
Completion: Pending IRM Review
Description
Opening the administration to new skills and supporting the Government’s open innovation initiatives
Lead institution(s):
Minister of State for the Digital Sector, attached to the Prime Minister
Other stakeholders:
Ministry of the Interior; Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition; Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; Ministry for Territorial Cohesion; Ministry of Economy and Finance; Ministry of National Education; Ministry of Culture
New commitment
OGP principles with which the commitment is associated:
Participation, Innovation and technology for openness
Challenges
Numerous entrepreneurs, developers and data scientists working within digital ecosystems are ready to work with and within the State in order to improve public services by making use of the potential provided by the opening and circulation of public data, new uses of digital technology and working with communities of civil society contributors.
In addition, when they are looking to implement innovation projects requiring recourse to uncommon skills and expertise, administrations have to cope with a whole range of difficulties, including binding procurement contracts that take time to implement (even though the changes underway with regard to public purchases are bringing about greater flexibility in the processes involved), salary scales that hold little attraction for experts in digital technology, and lack of visibility as to methods developed within the entrepreneurial world.
Ambitions
Bringing administrations alongside digital ecosystems, perpetuating open innovation initiatives in the administration and disseminating such practices, including the “Entrepreneur of General Interest” programme, ministerial incubators and hackathons.
Public action is increased and improved by interaction between administrations and external players. Such exchanges enable identification of new problems connected with public action, introduction of new work methods, development of digital projects open to contribution, and assistance with startup development.
Various models have already been put to use by administrations as ways of getting more closely involved with digital ecosystems:
• - the “Entrepreneur of General Interest” programme, which brings external talents into the administration in order to resolve digital challenges within ministries;
• - the digital public services incubator, which provides public officials with the opportunity to develop effective digital products that better meet users’ needs;
• - incubation of projects promoted by private players, bearing on public problems or connected with a given sector’s digital transition.
• Public events designed to encourage collaboration between administrations and external players on a specific theme (hackathons, dataCamps, design workshops etc.). The “Entrepreneur of General Interest” (EIG) programme developed by Etalab favours such encounters between external talents and public officials wishing to introduce new problem- solving techniques. EIGs work in selected administrations for a 10-month period in order to resolve challenges connected with digital technology. The success met with when the experiment was first tried out in 2016 resulted in a second year’s trial. Its initial success must now be capitalised on if the initiative is to be perpetuated. The programme also enables identification of constraints that need lifting and opportunities to take advantage of in order to develop genuinely extended public services that would enable the State to work more simply with startups and transform public policies.
• It is also a matter of promoting and facilitating setup of ministerial incubators and disseminating agile methods in the implementation of projects.
The road map in detail
• Perpetuating the “Entrepreneur of General Interest” programme:
• • launching the 2nd and 3rd EIG years;
• • perpetuating programme funding over the longer term. 2018
•Creating a network of EIG alumni providing feedback on the initial years in order to help improve the programme’s effectiveness 2018
•Using such feedback as a basis for proposing legislative and regulatory changes with a view to improving technological pubic innovation within the administration 2019
In addition to these crosscutting actions, the following ministries have made commitments of their own:
THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR UNDERTAKES TO
● Create an ecosystem by making best use of open data and developing data co- production initiatives through projects and organisation of events
THE MINISTRY FOR THE ECOLOGICAL AND INCLUSIVE TRANSITION AND THE MINISTRY FOR TERRITORIAL COHESION UNDERTAKE TO
• ● Launch the first season of Fabrique Numérique (6 projects), a digital services incubator for development of new uses contributing to implementation of public policies
• ● Mobilise Entrepreneurs of General Interest to foster use of data in order to prevent maritime accidents
• ● Implement new data-science projects on the open innovation model:
o protection of whistleblowers: developing an information system accessible to whistleblowers that would guarantee traceability of information and their protection
o optimisation of roadside checks: better identification of zones in order to carry out more pertinent checks
o optimisation of examination of building permit applications: development of artificial intelligence software for urban planning which would assist individual applicants in examination of building-permit applications and eventually automate such examination.
• ● Organise a workshop open to producers and reusers of data on waste (BarCamps / hackathons)
• ● Launch a new call for Green Tech Verte (ministerial incubator) “Jeunes Pousses” projects aimed at small-scale startups
THE MINISTRY FOR EUROPE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS UNDERTAKES TO
• ● Continue support for work on redesigning and modernising services provided to French citizens travelling abroad and residents (the present Conseil aux Voyageurs and Fil d’Ariane). The project was winner of the January 2017 hackathon organised by the Ministry in partnership with the Interministerial Directorate for Information and Communications Systems (DINSIC) and the General Union for Public Purchases (UGAP).
• ● Set up a ministerial incubator designed as a facility where Ministry staff (Information System Directorate developers and intrapreneurs) and external players (developers, startups, young innovative companies, etc.) work on innovative projects.
THE MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE UNDERTAKES TO
● Create a “business innovation kit” in collaboration with the Agence du Patrimoine Immatériel de l’Etat (APIE – Agency for Public Intangibles in France) (mock-up: https://innovmetieretat.github.io/). The kit will enable easy setup of an online platform making administrations’ knowledge and communicable tools and/or resources available to users. It is designed as an open-access software module that can be incorporated, for example, into the “Comment Faire” public innovation toolbox (http://comment-faire.modernisation.gouv.fr/) provided by the Interministerial Directorate for Public Transformation (DITP, formerly the Secretariat-General for Government Modernisation [SGMAP]). The kit is disseminated in free format for kit content and the kit itself, and the source code is available at a repository (https://github.com/InnovMetierEtat/innovmetieretat.github.io). It uses the Git system and its online version Github as infrastructure, adding a simple user-friendly interface. Content is provided by public innovators for use by other public innovators and may also be of interest to members of civil society (citizens’ associations and innovative operators).
THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION UNDERTAKES TO
Open a ministerial innovation “lab” dedicated to acculturation to innovation and support for innovative projects within the Ministry: constitution of a team and a range of services in 2018.
THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE UNDERTAKES TO
Continue support for administrations and cultural operators in formalisation of projects for the call for EIG projects. In 2018, with Ministry support, two EIGs will be developing a platform for indexing and presentation of Mobilier National collections.
Support development of innovative digital services via the “State startups” scheme managed by Beta.gouv.fr, including the “Pass Culture” project, a mobile app providing young people with access to local artistic and cultural education with a dedicated digital portfolio.
THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC ACTION AND ACCOUNTS UNDERTAKES TO
Set up a library of human resources initiatives in order to capitalise on successes and failures.
Support recognition of the right to make mistakes by organising seminars, events and feedback on the right to make mistakes, risk taking and the search for innovation.
IRM Midterm Status Summary
9. Opening the administration to new skills and supporting the government’s open innovation initiatives
Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:
Numerous entrepreneurs, developers and data scientists working within digital ecosystems are ready to work with and within the State in order to improve public services by making use of the potential provided by the opening and circulation of public data, new uses of digital technology and working with communities of civil society contributors.
In addition, when they are looking to implement innovation projects requiring recourse to uncommon skills and expertise, administrations have to cope with a whole range of difficulties, including binding procurement contracts that take time to implement (even though the changes underway with regard to public purchases are bringing about greater flexibility in the processes involved), salary scales that hold little attraction for experts in digital technology, and lack of visibility as to methods developed within the entrepreneurial world.
Bringing administrations alongside digital ecosystems, perpetuating open innovation initiatives in the administration and disseminating such practices, including the “Entrepreneur of General Interest” programme, ministerial incubators and hackathons.
Public action is increased and improved by interaction between administrations and external players. Such exchanges enable identification of new problems connected with public action, introduction of new work methods, development of digital projects open to contribution, and assistance with startup development.
Various models have already been put to use by administrations as ways of getting more closely involved with digital ecosystems:
- the “Entrepreneur of General Interest” programme, which brings external talents into the administration in order to resolve digital challenges within ministries;
- the digital public services incubator, which provides public officials with the opportunity to develop effective digital products that better meet users’ needs;
- incubation of projects promoted by private players, bearing on public problems or connected with a given sector’s digital transition.
Public events designed to encourage collaboration between administrations and external players on a specific theme (hackathons, dataCamps, design workshops etc.). The “Entrepreneur of General Interest” (EIG) programme developed by Etalab favours such encounters between external talents and public officials wishing to introduce new problem- solving techniques. EIGs work in selected administrations for a 10-month period in order to resolve challenges connected with digital technology. The success met with when the experiment was first tried out in 2016 resulted in a second year’s trial. Its initial success must now be capitalised on if the initiative is to be perpetuated. The programme also enables identification of constraints that need lifting and opportunities to take advantage of in order to develop genuinely extended public services that would enable the State to work more simply with startups and transform public policies.
It is also a matter of promoting and facilitating setup of ministerial incubators and disseminating agile methods in the implementation of projects. [43]
Milestones
9.1 Perpetuating the “Entrepreneur of General Interest” programme.
Launching the 2nd and 3rd EIG years.
Perpetuating programme funding over the longer term.
9.2 Creating a network of EIG alumni providing feedback on the initial years in order to help improve the programme’s effectiveness
9.3 Using such feedback as a basis for proposing legislative and regulatory changes with a view to improving technological public innovation within the administration
Start Date: 2018
End Date: 2019
Context and Objectives
This commitment was a continuation of an ongoing program that sought to bridge two worlds that cannot currently meet. Many data scientists and digital entrepreneurs wish to work for the public sector, and the state lacks the competencies that these professionals could bring. There are, however, currently several obstacles prohibiting these worlds from meeting. These include burdensome procurement procedures, pay schemes lower than market value, and a lack for understanding of what the digital world has to offer. The Entrepreneur of General Interest (EIG) program, created in 2016, wished to facilitate the digital transition of the state. It would do so through the recruitment of data scientists and digital experts to work on specific projects. This commitment aimed to make the EIG program sustainable.
Since the program was launched, there have been 71 entrepreneurs working within the administration, including the last cohort. [44] Of the 39 EIGs of the two initial promotions, 14 continued to work within the public sector, capitalizing on the collaborations started with their administrative mentors. All the tools developed by the EIGs and the datasets they helped to open are available to the public on the following platforms: https://github.com/entrepreneur-interet-general and data.gouv.fr. An evaluation of the program is currently being conducted. [45]
This commitment is relevant to the OGP value of civic participation. The commitment involved outreach to entrepreneurs, developers, and data scientists to help the government improve public service through digital technology.
The commitment is overall sufficiently specific to be verifiable. Most milestones contain concrete information about what should be done (e.g., create a network of alumni, launch the next round of the program). The milestones that aim to make the program sustainable could have been enriched with more details to facilitate a future assessment (e.g., what is meant by “perpetuate the program” or “the longer term”?).
This initiative could have a minor effect. The outputs of the program could improve the use of technology in the long run, thanks to the projects developed by the EIGs. Given the point of departure, whereby the EIG program already exists, and the fact that this commitment only aims to make it sustainable, it can be considered an incremental step to improving the digitalization of the state.
Next steps
Given that this commitment is already significantly underway, the IRM researcher suggests that this commitment not be carried forward to the next action plan.
The government could, however, centralize the feedback and comments from the Entrepreneurs of General Interest about their experience in various government agencies. This would provide useful information about the previously mentioned “cultural obstacles” to open government within administrations.
Commitments
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Transparency of Public Services
FR0030, 2018, E-Government
-
Transparency of Public Procurement
FR0031, 2018, Access to Information
-
Transparency of Development Aid
FR0032, 2018, Access to Information
-
Expand Open Data
FR0033, 2018, Access to Information
-
Improved Data Policies and Administration
FR0034, 2018, Access to Information
-
Transparency of Public Algorithms
FR0035, 2018, E-Government
-
Open Data at Sub-National Level
FR0036, 2018, Access to Information
-
State AI Lab
FR0037, 2018, Automated Decision-Making
-
Administrative Capacity-Building
FR0038, 2018, Capacity Building
-
Public Service Incubators
FR0039, 2018, Capacity Building
-
Streamline Data Flows
FR0040, 2018, Access to Information
-
Open Etat Forum
FR0041, 2018, E-Government
-
Online Procedures Dashboard
FR0042, 2018, E-Government
-
Govtech Summit
FR0043, 2018, Capacity Building
-
Improve Public Consultation Mechanisms
FR0044, 2018, E-Government
-
International Transparency and Citizen Participation
FR0045, 2018, Aid
-
Public Pariticipation in Sustainable Development
FR0046, 2018, Access to Information
-
Open Science
FR0047, 2018, Access to Information
-
Citizen Involvement in Cour Des Comptes
FR0048, 2018, Access to Information
-
Transparency of Interest Representatives
FR0049, 2018, Access to Information
-
Access to Information on Public Officials
FR0050, 2018, Access to Information
-
Open Regional and Local Authorities' Data
FR0001, 2015, Access to Information
-
Publish Municipal Council Decisions and Reports Online
FR0002, 2015, E-Government
-
Publish Building Permits in Open Data Format
FR0003, 2015, Access to Information
-
Increase Transparency in Public Procurement
FR0004, 2015, Access to Information
-
Improve Transparency in International Development Aid
FR0005, 2015, Access to Information
-
Open Access to Public Policy Evaluations
FR0006, 2015, E-Government
-
Involve Citizens in Cour Des Comptes Work
FR0007, 2015, Access to Information
-
Access to Public Officials Transparency Obligations
FR0008, 2015, Access to Information
-
Beneficial Ownership
FR0009, 2015, Anti-Corruption
-
Transparency in Extractive Industries
FR0010, 2015, Anti-Corruption
-
Transparency in International Trade Commercial Negotiations
FR0011, 2015, Access to Information
-
Fix My Neighborhood
FR0012, 2015, E-Government
-
Digital Fix-It
FR0013, 2015, Access to Information
-
Co-Produce Data Infrastructure with Civil Society
FR0014, 2015, Access to Information
-
Open Legal Resources
FR0015, 2015, Access to Information
-
Reform Participatory Mechanisms
FR0016, 2015, Open Regulations
-
Mediation and Justice
FR0017, 2015, Access to Justice
-
Open and Circulate Data
FR0018, 2015, Access to Information
-
Open Calculation Models and Simulators
FR0019, 2015, Access to Information
-
Open Platform for Government Resources
FR0020, 2015, E-Government
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Improve Public Services Through E-Government and User Interaction
FR0021, 2015, E-Government
-
Empower Civil Society to Support Schools
FR0022, 2015, E-Government
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Diversify Recruitment Within Public Institutions
FR0023, 2015, Capacity Building
-
Culture Change
FR0024, 2015, Capacity Building
-
Spread Public Innovation
FR0025, 2015, Capacity Building
-
Protect Against Conflicts of Interest
FR0026, 2015, Anti-Corruption
-
Civil Society & Transparency in COP21 Conference Planning
FR0027, 2015, Environment and Climate
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Open Data and Climate/Sustainable Development
FR0028, 2015, Access to Information
-
Collaborate with Civil Society on Climate and Sustainable Development
FR0029, 2015, Environment and Climate