Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab
This session will bring together some of the most experienced leaders in the field to ask: how can we move beyond pilots and experimentation to harness the potential of outcomes-based funding for social and environmental change at scale? We will anchor the discussion in three core questions:
- What can we learn from the success but also failure to date in using outcomes-based approaches as a catalytic enabler of a broader transformation of systems to be re-oriented towards delivering impact?
- What are the key structural barriers that prevent mainstream adoption of outcomes-based programmes by the public sector and is a ‘blueprint to scale’ possible?
- Do we need to improve what we deliver, how, and who we build outcome-focused partnerships with, or should we simply adjust our expectations on the pace of change?
We wrapped up the conference with our customary public talk. This year’s topic was “Power to People and Places: What does it take to deliver social change for a more equal Britain? In Conversation with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester”. Andy was in conversation with Kathy Hall, Chief Operating Officer of the Blavatnik School. During the talk, Mayor Burnham built on his decades-long experience in public service to make the case for reform and outline his rallying cry for more power to local places and people. Mayor Burnham stated that achieving a fairer country requires comprehensive political reform, and a shift from top-down to bottom-up approaches. However, as he reminded us, “English devolution has provided a bridgehead, but we’re not so arrogant as to think we have all the answers”. Mayor Burnham encouraged us to consider that we are all grappling with similar issues, creating the opportunity for a more collaborative approach.