State Capacity: Perspectives from the U.K., U.S. and Canada
Aug 25, 2026 11:00 AM in
Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Description
Around the world, governments are coming under fire for struggling to deliver essential services and follow through on their promises to voters. The ensuing loss of trust can have serious consequences for democracy.
The root causes of these failures are complex and largely invisible to the public. They often stem from the inner workings of government: its people, systems and processes. In other words, state capacity.
On August 25, join us to learn how governments and experts in the U.K., the U.S. and Canada are thinking about federal state capacity and how to improve public-sector performance. The panel features Hannah White, CEO of the U.K.’s Institute for Government, and Ben Bain, director of state capacity at the U.S.’s Niskanen Center, and will be moderated by Jennifer Ditchburn, president and CEO of the IRPP, who is also co-leading the IRPP’s new research project, Capacity for Change: Designing a Public Service Built to Deliver.
Additional Details
Action Level - LEARN
What You'll Leave With
A clearer understanding of why governments sometimes struggle to deliver essential services, how public-sector capacity affects public trust and democracy, and practical perspectives from Canada, the United States and United Kingdom on strengthening government systems, processes and performance.
Best For - Community Leaders, Systems Designers, Researchers, Students, Journalists / Media, Businesses
Systems It Connects To - Circularity & Whole-System Design, Personal & Digital Democracy, Clean & Renewable Energy, Food Production & Distribution, ICT & Cybersecurity, Public & Planetary Health, Smarter Cities & Communities, Mobility & Transportation, Ethical Finance, Media & Storytelling
Languages - English