Fracture. The collision between technology and democracy—and how we fix it.

A world of digital innovation and transformation increasingly surrounds us. Yet one of the most important aspects of our lives remains a notable exception: our governments. Their long-standing ambitions to use technology to improve democratic relationships between the citizen and the state, and between nation states, remain largely unfulfilled. The result is a growing fracture between governments’ capabilities and citizens’ needs and expectations. Meanwhile, adversaries from hostile states to cyber criminals exploit technology to undermine trust in democracy. Leaving our governments decorated with a sprinkle of digital glitter, but no real reform, isn’t an option. Digital technologies and practices have an essential role to play in democratic renewal. They can engage citizens in the co-creation and co-design of policies, provide continuous feedback and data to inform and improve policy outcomes, and radically improve the structure, relevance, and effectiveness of government. Fracture draws on over thirty years of government digital initiatives to explore the opportunities and blockers to democratic reform. It provides a guide to how governments can exploit digital technologies and practices to learn smarter, react faster, and adapt better. Readers' feedback on the first edition of FRACTURE “One of the most comprehensive books on tech policy I’ve ever read. Really excellent.” “No-one reading National Audit Office reports relating to digital government in the UK over the last decade could doubt that something is seriously wrong. By taking an even longer view of how the approach has been going in circles for nearly 30 years, this book unpacks the problem to its component parts.” “Digital government has been ‘coming soon’ for perhaps 3 decades. This book takes you through its successes and failures, and then sets out a thoughtful, and challenging, prescription for how we should move ahead. Whereas most start with technology as the answer (an approach that hasn’t worked so far), the author—someone with a real track record in designing and delivering complicated systems—starts with the structure of government and how it might look and then builds the technology capability underneath. It’s a good read.” “If ever there was a book which is timely it’s this one, highlighting the repeated cycle of misusing technology and data simply to automate current policies, rather than unlock their potential by offering a different approach. The author provides clear and demonstrable approaches to how this could improve policymaking as well as signposting the mistakes of the past. A must read for policymakers and technologists wanting to learn past lessons and explore future options.” “This is an important book, timely in this period of so much potential conflict. Well-structured and written, an informative read and very useful resource and source of ideas to plan and think about a better future. It’s a very important contribution to improving capabilities and helping safeguard and improve democracy when technology including AI is making such an impact on our lives and democracy.”