This issue

- innovation and intelligent failure  
- hate speech against women 
- global megatrends 
- Australia’s wellbeing 
- national water reform 
Plus what I’m reading. 

Innovation and intelligent failure 

An article in Public Management and Money discusses an under-explored aspect of innovation—failure. By having a clearer understanding of the role of failure in the innovation  process, public  managers can better support the growth of innovation cultures and practices within their organisations. 

Read our brief on the article

Hate speech against women 

Public discussion of speech expressing contempt for women has intensified in Australia in recent times. A policy brief from the Melbourne School of Government provides an overview of this policy challenge and sets out proposals to address sex-based vilification. These combine both legal and non-legal regulatory measures. 

Issue at a glance 

The proliferation of digital and online media means the prevalence and severity of sex-based vilification is increasing. It is more easily observable and documented than before. 

Sex-based vilification silences women by preventing them from speaking. It marginalises and devalues their speech, building structural constraints impeding their speech. Women respond to sex-based vilification by: 

• adapting their behaviours 

• policing their identities, speech, and movements 

• leaving online and offline spaces 

• disengaging from public life.  

Recommendations 

The brief proposes a ‘multifaceted counter-speech’ approach to addressing sex-based vilification. Measures include: 

• legal strategies to respond to different manifestations of sex-based vilification 

• legal and non-legal content moderation laws, regulations, and guidelines 

• voluntary codes of conduct and guidelines 

• empowering counter speech to enable women themselves to speak back against sex-based vilification. 

Global megatrends

The European Commission has published its second annual strategic foresight report. The report identifies a range of global megatrends that will shape the future of Europe and the world. 

What is strategic foresight? 

Strategic foresight anticipates trends, risks, emerging issues and their potential implications and opportunities. The resulting insights inform strategic planning and policy-making. Strategic  foresight is not about predicting the future. The role of strategic foresight is to act in the present to shape the future. 

What are the global megatrends 

1. Climate change and other environmental challenges: Global warming will surpass 1.5℃ in the next 20 years and head towards 2℃ by midcentury, worsening the pressure on water and food safety worldwide. By 2050, 200 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance partly due to ecological effects.
    

2. Digital hyperconnectivity and technological transformations: The number of connected devices globally will increase from 30.4 billion in 2020 to 200 billion in 2030.

​Increased connectivity of objects, places and people will result in new products, services, business models, and life and work patterns. 

3. Pressure on democracy and values: As of 2020, 34% of the world’s population was living in countries where democratic governance was declining and only 4% in countries that were becoming more democratic. Large-scale misinformation will pose increasing challenges to democratic systems and drive a new type of information warfare. 

4. Shifts in the global order and demography: The world is becoming increasingly multipolar. China is set to become the biggest economy before the end of this decade, with India possibly surpassing the EU in the next 20 years. The USA-China competition could become a defining feature of the geopolitical landscape.  

Strengthening the resilience of institutions 

The implications of current and future trends will require agile policy responses. Uncertainty, volatility, complexity and ambiguity will need to be embraced and managed. Increased polarisation shows the need for participatory and inclusive governance to enhance trust and legitimacy at all levels.  

Australia's welfare

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released its two-yearly report on the wellbeing of Australians. The report brings together comprehensive data and analysis on the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities in areas such housing, income and employment, education and social support. 

What is welfare and wellbeing? 

Welfare refers to the wellbeing of individuals, families and the community. The terms welfare and wellbeing are often used interchangeably. Our personal circumstances are key drivers of our health and wellbeing. The circumstances in which we grow, live, work and age all play a role. Welfare, or wellbeing, is positively or negatively affected by factors such as housing, education, employment and social networks. 

At a glance 

• $195.7 billion was spent on welfare related services and payments by Australian and state and territory governments in 2019–20. 

• On average, mental health has a greater impact on life satisfaction than physical health. 

• The pandemic saw unemployment rise but it recovered to below pre-pandemic levels by July 2021. 

• At 25 June 2021, 5.4 million people aged 16 and over received an income support payment. 

• 588,000 people were employed in the welfare workforce in 2020. 

• 174,700 children aged 0–17 received child protection services in 2019–20. 

• 1-in-6 women and 1-in-16 men have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current/previous partner. 

National water reform

Water is critical to the wellbeing of Australian communities, the economy and the environment. But highly variable rainfall patterns, coupled with frequent droughts and floods, make it a challenging resource to manage. Since the mid-1990s, governments have implemented a program of national water reform.  The most recent agreement — the National Water Initiative (NWI) — was signed in 2004. 

This Productivity Commission report  assesses the progress of governments  since 2017 towards achieving the objectives and outcomes of the NWI. It also provides practical advice to Australian governments on future directions for national water reform. 

Key findings 

• National water reforms have contributed to material benefits through improvements in water resource management and improvements in water service delivery.

• The overarching NWI should be modernised through reference to adaptation to climate change and recognition of the importance of water in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. 

• Much more needs to be done to include Traditional Owners’ interests in water in jurisdictional planning and the management of water. 

• NWI governance arrangements have been significantly eroded. A strengthened governance architecture is needed that transparently reflects the presence of national water policy leadership and ensures confidence in reform effort. 

• A renewed NWI should emphasise the purpose of water trading and markets is as a tool within a water resource management framework to increase efficiency. 

1. Remarking the workspace to boost social connection

What will business as usual look like in the post-pandemic office? Will some of us continue to use our private spaces as workspaces? Do we need to be in the same place as our colleagues to take advantage the creativity that physical co-location encourages? Or can we get by with a curated combination of remote work and in-person work, as the popularity of hybrid arrangements suggests? These questions are at the heart of this article in the MIT Sloan Management Review. 

2. How to be lucky

Most of us think that luck just happens (or doesn’t) but an article in Psyche  suggests everyone can learn to look for the unexpected and find serendipity.  Developing this serendipity mindset  is both a philosophy of life and a capability that you can shape. The willingness and motivation to engage in activities that nurture serendipity is driven by traits such as curiosity and proactivity. 

‘Til the next issue

Maria Katsonis