Now more than ever, governments worldwide are faced with the need to respond to problems quickly. Their organisational structures and processes, however, are not compatible with the tasks at hand. So what are the strengths and limits of integrating science into the public policy-making process to help solve such agile governance problems? In this interview, Silva Mertsola, a senior expert on public governance at Demos Helsinki and deputy member of the city council of Helsinki, not only answers these questions but also highlights the need for knowledge brokers to help bridge the divide between science and bureaucracy. To her, such knowledge brokers are a critical missing link that, if left unaddressed, could negatively impact future collaboration and understanding between scientific and bureaucratic communities. Collaborative and humble governance ideals are at the heart of Silva’s quest to make bureaucracy more creative and open to scientific ideas.
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Creative Bureaucracy Festival meets Science: Interview Silva Mertsola
Silva works as a public governance expert at Nordic think tank Demos Helsinki. In her work she focuses on developing new innovative operating models policy-making processes for the public sector in Finland and internationally, and she is experienced in coordinating large international multi-stakeholder projects.
Dr. Julia Stamm is the founder of The Futures Project (TFP), an international non-profit initiative to ensure that innovation and technology serve the needs of people and planet.
In November 2021, Julia received the Digital Female Leader Award, category Global Hero, for her work. Julia has long-standing leadership and management experience in national and international academic institutions and international organisations, such as European Cooperation in Science and Technology and the European Commission. She regularly advises national and international organisations and institutions on issues around science, policy & innovation.