What if… Government? - If you could change government, what would you want it to look like?

15th My Better Country Hackathon under the theme “What if… Government? - If you could change government, what would you want it to look like?” Empowering young people to turn their experiences into ideas and design the government they want to see

On 1 November, Thailand’s Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC), in collaboration with #KASThailand, organised the 15th My Better Country Hackathon. The event brought together four partner agencies to help shape the challenges, provide consultations, and support participants’ learning and idea development. The partner agencies were the Office of the Council of State, the National Statistical Office, the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and the Digital Government Development Agency (Public Organization) (DGA).

The activity encouraged participants to brainstorm solutions based on real-life problems related to topics that interested their respective teams. They also applied the Problem Tree Analysis tool to identify the root causes and impacts of these problems. Mentors from the partner agencies provided close guidance to each team, helping them refine their challenges and develop potential solutions. The teams then presented their proposals to the judging panel and received valuable feedback.

Following the evaluation, four teams achieved the highest overall scores in their respective categories:

1. Seamless Life: Designing public services that make everyday life easier - Team ‘Ctrl Alt Gov’ proposed a “Health Information and Healthcare Entitlement Platform” that connects public health services and information, reduces barriers to accessing medical care, and promotes more inclusive and equitable healthcare for all.
2. Open Data for Impact: Making government data “findable, understandable, and usable” - Team ‘Honey, Let Me Fix This (คนดีพี่มาง้อ)’ proposed the “Model City Project,” a shared platform designed to ensure that persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups can access government information equally.
3. Agile State: Designing a government that is “agile, flexible, and effective” - Team ‘Act for Better Country’ proposed an “Executive Command Center,” a centralised system for coordinating and monitoring work to reduce procedural steps and improve organisational efficiency, with a pilot implementation in one government department.
4. Reinventing Trust: Designing a government that is “transparent and trustworthy” - Team ‘Pink & Green Steal the Scene (ชมพูเขียวเหลียวทั้งงาน)’ proposed “One Report Service,” a centralised platform for reporting corruption and tracking the progress of complaints. The platform aims to promote transparency and public participation while protecting whistleblowers’ personal information.

The Hackathon May Be Over, but the Work Continues! Following the event, OPDC will compile and analyse proposals from all participating teams and discuss them with the relevant agencies to assess their feasibility and potential for further development. The ideas and perspectives of young people will also contribute to shaping the future direction of Thailand’s public sector development.