What Does It Really Mean for Government to Be Efficient?

By Derek Alton

Governments around the world are under pressure to do more with less. But what does it really mean for a government to be "efficient"? And how do we balance speed with accountability, ambition with equity, or innovation with sustainability?

These were the questions on the table at Apolitical’s global debate, “Government Efficiency: No Pain, No Gain?”, held on June 11, 2025. Bringing together public sector leaders from Canada, India, Ukraine, and the UK, the session was anything but your average policy webinar. It was a rich, fast-moving exchange that revealed both tensions and shared aspirations across public services globally.

Efficiency: Tool or Trap?

Each speaker brought a different perspective to the word "efficiency."

Yamini Aiyar (India) gave a passionate call for “government efficiency” rooted in democratic accountability. She argued that efficiency should never be reduced to speed or cost-cutting alone. “Government is not Amazon,” she reminded us. “I’m not paying you. I’m demanding because I am a citizen.” For Yamini, meaningful efficiency includes space for dialogue, paperwork, and discretion—things often dismissed in technocratic reforms.

Gulsanna "Sana" Mamediieva (Ukraine) spoke from the heart of crisis, drawing on Ukraine’s bold digital reforms in wartime. For her, dramatic action is often necessary—but must be paired with safeguards and deep respect for civil servants. “Civil servants can innovate,” she stressed, “but they need leadership that creates safe space to do so.”

Chris Ferguson (UK) urged a shift from efficiency to effectiveness. Efficiency, he warned, becomes dangerous when it loses sight of public sector values. "We can't cut corners when reaching the last citizen is the most expensive thing to do. That's our job." His advice: prioritize user needs, amplify civil servants, and prototype with purpose.

Graham Flack (Canada) brought a dose of realpolitik: governments are running out of money. Public servants must find ways to deliver better outcomes under tighter constraints. But he also called on the sector to learn from COVID. “We did impossible things during the crisis—because we empowered employees to act. How do we make that permanent?”

Trade-offs, Pilots, and the “Everything Bagel”

The audience brought sharp questions. How do we measure efficiency when progress takes years? How do we balance competing priorities without falling into the “everything bagel” trap? And what happens when performance metrics get in the way of good government?

The speakers didn’t agree on everything—but that was the point. Instead, they revealed the complexity and nuance behind the buzzwords.

Pilots? Some saw them as smart ways to move fast. Others warned of “pilot-itis”—a way to avoid tough decisions.

Performance management? A potential tool for alignment, or a risk for stifling innovation.

Technology? Promising, but only if guided by purpose and used to empower people, not replace them.

So, Who Won?

In a closing audience vote, Canada’s Graham Flack took the win, with his clear-eyed take on constraints and opportunity. But every speaker resonated in different ways—Yamini’s citizen-first framing, Sana’s wartime urgency, and Chris’s call for effectiveness all left a strong mark.

The Real Takeaway

Efficiency isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a political, cultural, and moral one.

Governments can't simply copy methods from business. They must answer to citizens, build trust, and deliver services that work for everyone—not just the majority or the “easy cases.”

What emerged from this event was less a single answer, and more a shared question: What kind of public service do we want to build, and who is it for?

If you missed the debate, you can still join the conversation. Apolitical has launched a new community of practice on government efficiency and effectiveness. It's a space for public servants around the world to continue exploring these trade-offs and share what’s working in their contexts.

👉 Join the community and shape the future of government reform