The government as bridge builder: Solutions for major societal challenges

The social challenges we face in the Netherlands are extraordinarily complex, spanning issues from nitrogen emissions to housing and safety concerns. They require in-depth analyses, close public-private partnerships, and innovative approaches to find viable solutions.

Despite the government's thorough approach, some issues still get stuck. There was no nitrogen exemption, the reform of youth care failed and too little is learnt from recovery processes, the ombudsman concluded. A new course is needed, but which one? Sjoerd van der Smissen, Partner and Industry Leader Public Sector and Mario Kortman, Director Major Programmes Public Sector, tell us more about this.

The need for a new direction

Kortman: "Many implementation problems arise because the government does not analyse who it should be but is too quick to assume who it wants to be. The government often sees itself as a process facilitator rather than being integrally responsible for the social outcome."

Van der Smissen: "A good example is the ICT Assessment Advisory Board , which assesses the feasibility of large IT programmes within the government. Over the past few years, she has performed dozens of tests and all of them were negative. From their point of view, they are doing the right thing, but does this help the government to deal better with IT? Does this contribute to solving bigger problems?"

Kortman: "The government is increasingly acting as a patchwork of separate governments, in which everyone pursues their own interests. Ministries and implementing organisations still rely too much on their existing routines and often operate based on outdated practices."

Van der Smissen: "Questions such as: what is the social task, what is our responsibility and what role should we play in this, are not often asked integrally, except during the corona crisis."

A new way of working

While the government currently mainly steers the process, it should focus intensely on achieving the set goals and bringing together partners both within and outside the public sector. The shift should be from process management to a focus on outcomes, with a clear emphasis on steering towards public value.

The good news is that the government has already shown that it can do this. During the corona crisis, she managed to achieve a lot in a short period of time. From setting up financial support measures and increasing healthcare capacity to launching a national vaccination campaign, supporting education and entering into international collaborations. All this required large-scale cooperation between various private and public parties, in which the government always managed to pick the right role. Now the question is: how can this become the standard working method of the government, what is needed for this?

Van der Smissen: "To start, we need to implement more control mechanisms that go beyond ministries, because the challenges do that too. Think of police on the streets who spend a large part of their time on people with mental health issues, partly due to cutbacks in mental healthcare. If you want to tackle this in an integrated way, it requires administrative co-ordination and even budget transfers between multiple departments."

Kortman: "That is also an organisational issue. Take, for example, the nitrogen crisis that runs across multiple levels and that no one really takes ownership for. With regard to such complex issues, as a government you should rather request from the House of Representatives what the social outcome is that is being pursued, and then make it leading across departments and levels of government. Then you have a mandate to really steer."

The changing roles of the government

This new course requires an explicit consideration of what role you should take as government in relation to the desired public result, say Kortman and Van der Smissen. Together with the Deloitte Centre for Government Insights, six different roles of government have been defined, which can be deployed depending on the situation.

In the key challenges we address in this series of articles, we see that there is a great need for the government in one of these six roles. To find out what role is needed in a particular situation, two questions are important.

Kortman: "What is the goal we want to achieve together and in which role are you irreplaceable as government - because in that role you add the most value."

Van der Smissen: "When it comes to physical security, for example, we have enshrined in law that the government is the owner of the process and the solution. No one else can do that and fits well with the role of protector. However, the role within cyber security raises all kinds of questions. If Russian tanks roll across our border, we will send the army there. But who protects the cables at the bottom of the North Sea against sabotage? This needs to be carefully considered."

Redefining roles

Revisit your fundamental role as a government," Kortman and Van der Smissen advise. "Analyse the critical tasks you undertake for each issue and assess your role in them. Determine what you should be involved in and what you should not. Consider whether you need to be a guiding force on a particular issue or if it suffices to be a facilitator or manager.

Kortman: "Gone are the days when a problem was identified and then a law was passed to tackle this problem in isolation. As government, you work in a complex force field. You have to choose your role explicitly and be predictable and reliable in it. You can't simultaneously act as a protector of farmers while enforcing stringent nitrogen standards as a leader. Roles are often not congruent and if you don't make a clear choice, it affects your credibility and trust."

Van der Smissen: "Also think of the increase in costs in healthcare. Unfortunately, you can't introduce a law that suddenly makes everyone eat healthy. Instead, as government, you will need to play chess carefully on multiple boards at the same time. This means that you take on a different role in your collaboration with insurers than when you sit opposite youth care or health prevention professionals."

The government as bridge builder

The six roles have one striking constant: the government is the bridge builder. It connects the public and private sectors with the aim of solving social issues, understanding that she can't achieve this alone. Collaboration and facilitation are crucial.

Van der Smissen: "If you want to solve the nitrogen problem, you have to convince farmers and other nitrogen emitters to emit less and at the same time offer a future."

Kortman: "In areas where the government has an undeniable responsibility, such as security or healthcare, it is important to seek out new partnerships. At the same time, we must recognize that citizens also need to take action, as the government cannot do everything for us."

Van der Smissen: "For physical security, for example, the government has a role as protector, but when it comes to digital security, we will have to become more self-reliant. The government will therefore have to take on a facilitating role to ensure that we can guarantee our digital security ourselves."

The moment of truth

In conclusion, we can say that building bridges, supported by an effective government role, is the key to tackling the major societal challenges. But there is another indispensable factor: trust.

Kortman: "We could have a little more trust in each other. After all, the strength and legitimacy of our democracy depends on people's faith in positive change."

Van der Smissen: "We face considerable challenges in the Netherlands, but we also have a lot of opportunities to solve things together. When the government defines its role in different domains, this can lead to better outcomes and efficiency for both the market and the government itself."

Kortman: "If you had asked me five years ago how big the chance was that Dutch people would sit at home for months because of a virus that doesn't make most of us very ill, I would have thought that chance was quite slim. Yet, in that moment, there was enough trust to make it happen, which is encouraging. We are now at a similar tipping point, it is the moment of truth. We have the resources, the budget, the people, and the determination; what we need now is the right organization and approach.”