Reader, here's what's happening in the world of government this week

• Make your work week work for you - join the conversation

• Curious about agentic AI? Ask Luukas Ilves your burning questions.

• How Seattle's public servants have flocked to embrace Jimothy the raccoon

Hot topic: shaping the new public service

COMMUNITY POST

How to design your work schedule

How can you design your work week to reduce hours, but improve the quality of your work?

ARTICLE

The productivity myth

What if workforce productivity is not a neutral fact, but a myth; a powerful story that governments keep telling themselves?

— Michael McGuinness, Regulatory Intelligence Lab, Australia

ARTICLE

Could your leadership be misread across cultures?

What Indian public sector Professionals are learning about becoming a global leader.

— Vandana Das, Former Civil Servant, India

38%

of public servants say their meeting superpower is getting discussions back on track, according to Apolitical's recent poll.

THIS WEEK'S POLL

What should be the top priority for the public servants of tomorrow?

New on AI in government

COMMUNITY AMA
Ask me anything about agentic AI

This week, 20 - 24 July, Luukas Ilves will be answering your questions about AI agents – what they are, how they’re being used, and how they’re reshaping the core functions of government.

GOVERNMENT AI NAVIGATOR

AI-powered traffic crash prediction and police resource optimisation for Brazil's federal highways

Using graph neural networks to predict where traffic crashes are most likely on federal highways.

— Júlio César de Freitas Taveira, Policial Rodoviário Federal, Brazil

EVENT

Top lessons from successful government AI projects

📆 Thu Aug 13, 2026

Across governments, public servants are running AI pilots, often without knowing that someone, somewhere, has already worked through the same problem. Hear from public servants behind successful real-world government AI projects and find out more about how to connect with and learn from them.

🌱 Take the resilience survey

Apolitical is running a short survey on how ready public servants feel for major disruptions, from cyber threats to pandemics, and what would make a real difference to the work of government.

Opinions worth reading

ARTICLE

The accidental project manager

The job that shows up — even when it’s not in your title.

– Stacey McManaman, Consultant at The City of Calgary, Canada

ARTICLE

Redesigning work and welfare for neurodivergent audiences

How governments can dismantle biased hiring barriers and reform rigid, all-or-nothing welfare systems.

— Jonathan Mok

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And finally... 🦝

Seattle's viral star Jimothy, an unusually round, short-spined raccoon, has won over more than just the internet. Public servants are leaning in: the Seattle Mariners crowned him with a team hat online, and the city's institutions have adopted him as an unofficial mascot. Even librarians have joined in, with book recommendations dedicated to the city's newest celebrity!