A cautionary tale: big government inquiries, scandals and learning lessons
We are in an age when big government matters ever more – to pandemics, climate, inequality and more. If we’re to avoid a generation of...
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Geoff Mulgan
- Jan 3
- 3 min
The problem with gurus and when the silences speak volumes
I recently saw a great talk by the columnist and author Thomas Friedman at the OECD. He was clear and engaging, and had some nice...
Geoff Mulgan
- Dec 8, 2022
- 3 min
Navigating the crisis: intelligence and COVID-19
We have just published a study examining how governments –– and the societies around them –– mobilised intelligence to handle the...
Geoff Mulgan
- Nov 15, 2022
- 1 min
Imagination and the polycrisis: why competence is not enough
The recent turmoil in British politics has led much of the political establishment and commentariat to agree on one thing: what the...
Geoff Mulgan
- Oct 20, 2022
- 1 min
Reforming global governance of science and technology - options for change
I’ve been part of the team working on the STRINGS project over the last year or so – analysing global science and innovation and how...
Geoff Mulgan
- Oct 1, 2022
- 6 min
Life, capitalism and the nature of value
Here I am republishing a short excerpt from my book the Locust and the Bee, explaining the nature of value. Since it was published there...
Geoff Mulgan
- Aug 16, 2022
- 2 min
Designing future institutions
I've written an overview paper on the design of new institutions. It looks at the diversity of existing organisations, from the local to...
Geoff Mulgan
- Aug 5, 2022
- 12 min
Embracing the science rather than just following it: science, government & politics in the pandemic
What have we learned from an extraordinary two years when science, politics and government have been inextricably linked? Here I suggest...
Geoff Mulgan
- May 6, 2022
- 16 min
Nudges, behaviour change and complex systems
20 years ago I co-wrote a survey of behavioural policy options, that was then published by the UK Cabinet Office. It's now disappeared...
Geoff Mulgan
- Apr 29, 2022
- 1 min
The Boomerang Law of War
The invasion of Ukraine may be another example of what could be called the ‘Boomerang Law of War’ which states that most aggressive wars...
Geoff Mulgan
- Apr 22, 2022
- 1 min
Missing intelligence
Here is a link to a blog I've just done for global brief: https://globalbrief.ca/2022/04/missing-intelligence/ Sometimes we understand...
Geoff Mulgan
- Apr 22, 2022
- 1 min
Imagination
Here, trailing my new book out in June, is a blog for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the role of imagination in social change:...
Geoff Mulgan
- Mar 25, 2022
- 8 min
R&D BLINDSPOTS
This piece looks at the blindspots that have marked recent UK reviews of R&D and innovation The UK government is, once again, reviewing...
Geoff Mulgan
- Mar 24, 2022
- 4 min
COVID: five things the UK must prioritise in its pandemic recovery plan
On the second anniversary of Britain first going into lockdown, and with the country now opening up, this is a good opportunity to make...
Geoff Mulgan
- Mar 24, 2022
- 5 min
The case for humble activism: how wicked social problems are solved and outgrown
Can social problems be solved? Are they like problems in maths or engineering that just need to be analysed in the right way in order to...
Geoff Mulgan
- Mar 9, 2022
- 6 min
The Contribution Reward Fund: an answer to pay inequality and the neglect of essential work
The gap between the social value of people’s work and their monetary reward is wide and widening. In the US, for example, nearly half of...
Geoff Mulgan
- Feb 17, 2022
- 7 min
The Decline of Transparency. Is the World Becoming More Opaque?
Have we passed peak transparency? Are we moving into an era when more of the things that shape our lives will be opaque? And if so, how...
Geoff Mulgan
- Feb 4, 2022
- 2 min
ALGOV - a matrix for algorithmic governance
I had a go in late 2020 at creating a matrix for thinking about algorithmic governance (to feed into discusions at UCL led by my...
Geoff Mulgan
- Feb 3, 2022
- 9 min
Does 'levelling up' match up - or why we should think of this as Version 1
It’s easy to be dismissive of the government’s long-awaited plans for levelling up, published this week. Earlier statements were feeble....
Geoff Mulgan
- Dec 1, 2021
- 25 min
The Synthesis Gap: reducing the imbalance between advice and absorption in handling big challenges
Good synthesis results in higher-value options and actions. This paper focuses on how governments should synthesise inputs from many...
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