Weekly briefing: innovation for beginners; are terrorists beyond reform?

Top Stories

Here are five low-cost, high-impact innovations any agency can adopt. If your department is underfunded and overworked, reading about other people’s ambitious projects can be overwhelming. But you don’t need a big budget or flashy tech to innovate — here’s how to get started.
(Apolitical)

Are terrorists beyond reform? Malaysia is betting they aren't. Its new ‘soft’ approach focuses on reintegrating them into society with dignity. We spoke with a rehabilitation officer who has tea with terrorists and texts them about their girlfriend problems. ‘They’ve become my best friends,’ he said.
(Apolitical)

To tackle populism, start by rebuilding civic life. Rural residents have weaker ties to their community, which experts say drives them to right-wing populism. Governments are turning to social media, cartoon mascots and micro-breweries to rebuild that connection.
(Apolitical)

Mapping movement: How data experts track informal transport. Minibuses and taxis are popular all over the developing world, and growing faster than governments can track — which leaves passengers with little information on timings and routes. Open, citizen-run platforms are helping cities plan.
(Apolitical)

Top Writing From Our Members

Is there a role for art in policymaking? Some consider crafting policy to be an objective and technocratic pursuit. But artistic and creative approaches to policy can lead to richer, more nuanced conversations about the future of government.
(Stephen Bennett, Policy Lab)

Public servants: humanisers of the inevitable or radical change architects? Last century’s social systems, tools and frameworks are proving unfit for purpose. To dismantle and rebuild, public servants need to shed the role of gatekeeper and become investigators, nurturers and inventors.
(Hilary Cottam, Author and Social Entrepreneur)

Technology Frontiers

Singapore will trial autonomous flying taxis. From next summer, residents will be able to summon drone-like air taxis for city centre trips of up to 30 km. Singapore was the first country to trial driverless taxis in 2016.
(Next City)

Spanish police are using artificial intelligence to predict written lies. A machine learning model based on over 1,000 robbery reports has proved more effective at spotting false claims than the police. The tool is now being rolled out across Spain.
(Quartz)

Norwegians will soon have their mail delivered by robot. Norway's postal service has partnered with an automation startup to trial mail-delivering bots, which look like large boxes on wheels. They travel at 6 km per hour and can deliver to 100 homes per day.
(Digital Trends)

Governance and Citizen Engagement

Pakistan is trying a new way to pay for public services: crowdsourcing. It's launching a last-ditch effort to raise $14 billion to build two dams, which the government said are essential to ending the country’s endemic water and electricity shortages. Politicians, celebrities and citizens at home and abroad have donated.
(The New York Times)

Gender Equality

Nepal wants to end domestic abuse by offering one-stop crisis centres in hospitals. Victims can see a doctor, get counselling, file a police report and consult a lawyer, all under one roof. One hospital saw the number of women reporting abuse jump from 74 in 2013 to 493 in 2017.
(BBC)

Energy, Environment and Economic Opportunity

Nearly all mosques in Amman, Jordan run on solar energy. Green mosques are part of the capital’s plan to become a carbon-neutral city by 2050. Many are producing enough energy to sell their excess back to the national grid, which helps them financially.
(This Is Place)

And finally

Taipei's mayor dropped a rap video. In ‘Do Things Right’, Ko Wen-je, a 59-year-old former trauma surgeon, implores residents not to be lazy or steal. The mayor’s popularity is on the rise, thanks in large part to his savvy social media presence.
(CityLab)