Innovating Government At Making All Voices Count

Jessica Day | Innovation Excellence | June 7, 2014

Innovation is a broadly applied concept that means many different things. Sometimes it means new features for an existing product, sometimes it means a dramatic retooling of a process, and sometimes it means changing the world. This is the case with Making All Voices count -a program premised on the belief that we can create a “world in which open, effective and participatory governance is the norm and not the exception.”

In 2013, Making All Voices Count launched the “Global Innovation Competition” which challenged a global audience to design a solution that would improve governments’ responsiveness and accountability to citizens. The competition was unique in that anyone – from organization to average citizens – no matter where they were in the world was welcome to apply to win the grand prize of £65,000.

In 2014, Making All Voices Count identified a grand prize winner, two runners-up and seven other finalists. The grand prize winning project used mobile reporting to improve the delivery of government services to those who need them most. Through the use of their system, they were able to improve student attendance from 78% to 92%. Now they are enhancing the tool to apply it to healthcare, public utilities, and more...