Trust is Everything (with Andres Raieste)

Let's Think Digital

Trust is everything. It’s clear we’re in a moment in time where people do not trust their governments. There is skepticism about the impact of big technology companies, concerns about new technologies like artificial intelligence, and fear about the future, including the future of our democratic institutions themselves.

So we should be concerned about how complex, opaque, and often infuriating bureaucratic systems can further challenge citizens’ faith in government and erode trust in those who are there to serve the public. Whether it is navigating complex tax filing rules, trying to access health care supports, or something a simple as getting a passport renewed, delays and failed service delivery experiences raise doubt in the minds of citizens as to government's ability to accomplish even basic tasks.

So how can we rebuild this trust?

On today's episode, the second of of our two-part deep dive into the Estonian digital modernization journey, we're talking to Andres Raieste, Senior Vice President of Public Sector (Global) at the Estonian-based digital transformation firm Nortal. Andres has over 15 years of experience in digital modernization and began his career in Estonia as a digital government expert. Since then he has been responsible for many high-impact, large-scale government transformation programs and reforms globally, as well as producing thought leadership and developing practices to help governments deliver better digital services to its citizens.

Nortal recently released a report on trust, called "Formula for creating trust in digital government" which he talked about on stage at the FWD50 conference in Ottawa last month. So when we met up during his visit to Canada, we talked about why trust is important and how digital services can best create trust in society through small incremental improvements in services rather than focusing on flashy innovation. We even got into a discussion on the role of emerging technologies like blockchain and AI and how to get past the hype and focus on results.

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/FzbyuwzRcrI?si=on3TMZHtfq8Wj00E

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and the Importance of Trust in Government

01:27 Rebuilding Trust: The Estonian Digital Transformation

03:20 Interview with Andres Raieste

07:46 The Role of Trust in Digital Government

15:24 Tax Collection and Trust in Estonia

23:18 Transparency and Data Ownership in Estonia

27:45 Digital Public Infrastructure

36:01 Blockchain and Cybersecurity in Estonia

43:24 Personal Government

48:59 Reducing Complexity in Government Services

53:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts