How to Make the Government Work for Citizens? A Practical Guide to Solving Social Problems and Changing the World

The good news: most of us dream of a world with peace all over the globe. The bad news: for every successful social entrepreneur, there are thousands of inactive citizens. Meanwhile, we are all capable of achieving efficiency, equality, and legality in public institutions, but often simply do not know how to do it.

Beth Novek, a consultant to dozens of governments and public institutions, draws readers' attention to social problems that have no obvious universal solution — systemic racism, underdeveloped or inaccessible healthcare, unemployment, the colossal gap between the rich and the poor, climate change — issues that cannot be tackled alone. She elaborates on the tools we can use to organize ourselves, find like-minded individuals, and collectively strive for positive shifts. The author demonstrates how to leverage the advantages of digital technologies, big data, artificial intelligence, and collective knowledge to develop and implement effective solutions to contemporary problems.

Another important topic raised by Beth Novek is the vast chasm between ineffective governmental institutions and social entrepreneurs around the world doing incredible things. She proposes a radical rethinking of the role of public servants and their skills and analyzes ways to bridge this gap. The book is rich with practical advice for officials, public figures, and just active citizens on how to become more productive and just leaders, engage people in addressing global issues, empower them, and finally rectify the troubled world of the 21st century.

For politicians, public servants, public figures, and social entrepreneurs.