Governments worldwide are under immense pressure to keep up with a relentless pace of change on every front — from climate shocks and tech disruption to demographic shifts and geopolitical instability. However, policy often lags behind. Many governments are still relying on outdated tools and top-down approaches that no longer match the scale or speed of today’s challenges.
That’s the focus of “The ABCD Playbook,” our report written in collaboration with the World Governments Summit. The report identifies four essential traits of effective policymaking — agility, buy-in, convergence, and durability — and draws on global examples to show how they can help governments design more resilient, inclusive, and future-ready policies.
Taken together, these four qualities form a blueprint for a more adaptive and human-centered governance — one that matters more than ever.
Agility in policy helps governments adapt quickly to global challenges
Agile governments find ways to work with what they have, modifying existing institutions or systems to respond to new realities. New Zealand’s transformation of its agricultural sector is a strong example. After decades of protectionism, the government deregulated the industry, converting the New Zealand Dairy Board into Fonterra, a farmer-led cooperative that could compete globally. The change was gradual, collaborative, and strategic. And ultimately made the sector more resilient without losing its local roots.
Japan’s Top Runner Program, launched in 1999 to improve energy efficiency, offers another example. Instead of imposing blanket regulations on businesses, the government worked with manufacturers to continually update standards based on the most efficient products on the market. This not only kept Japan at the cutting edge of green technology but also showed how policy agility can be engineered into systems from the start.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showcased what real-time agility looks like. With rapid testing, mobile vaccination centers, stimulus packages, and digital tracing tools, the country moved quickly and achieved one of the highest global vaccination rates. The result: a public health success built on smart, responsive governance.
Buy-in makes policy effective by involving the people it impacts
No matter how innovative a policy may be, it won’t work if people don’t support it. That’s why buy-in must be designed into the policy process from the beginning, not bolted on as an afterthought. Singapore’s NEWater project is a case in point. Recognizing that recycled water needed public trust, the government paired infrastructure upgrades with public education campaigns, home water audits, and community involvement. Water conservation became not just a policy but a shared national value.
Germany’s Feed-in Tariff program for renewable energy took this one step further by turning citizens into co-producers. By allowing people to sell energy back to the grid at fixed prices, the government created economic incentives that aligned with its environmental goals, and brought people along for the ride.
In both cases, buy-in was not just political, it was personal. Policies succeeded because they were co-owned by the people they affected.
Convergence ensures new policies do not compete with old ones
One of the quiet killers of good policy is misalignment. When new initiatives contradict or duplicate existing ones, the result is confusion, waste, and missed opportunities. That’s why convergence — making sure all parts of government are pulling in the same direction — is essential.
The European Union’s Green Deal is a standout example of how to do this well. It ties together climate legislation, agriculture reform, emissions trading, and industrial strategy under a single framework for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. This synchronized layering of policies means every initiative — from clean energy to workforce reskilling — amplifies the rest rather than working in isolation.
Canada’s research funding model also demonstrates convergence in action. By linking its Canada Research Chairs program with complementary funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the government maximized impact while reducing duplication. The result: a more competitive academic sector and a more coherent funding ecosystem.
Durability means building policies that stand the test of time
Many policies deliver short-term wins but fade fast when conditions change or leadership turns over. Durability is about building policies that evolve with the times while staying true to their core goals.
The US Head Start program has endured for over 50 years by expanding beyond early childhood education to integrate health, nutrition, and family support. Its success lies in its holistic approach and its ability to adapt to the changing needs of communities.
Japan’s Top Runner program is again instructive. Using benchmarks such as the most efficient product in each category ensures that energy targets move with the market. This built-in adaptability has helped the program endure through multiple governments and shifting economic climates.
India’s flexible inflation targeting policy, introduced in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, provides a monetary policy example. With clear inflation bands and accountability mechanisms, it gave the Reserve Bank of India the flexibility to act and the structure to stay on course. Inflation remained below the upper tolerance limit in both 2023 and 2024, proving that well-calibrated frameworks can drive long-term stability.
Context matters most when designing lasting public policy
The playbook makes one final, critical point: there’s no one-size-fits-all policy solution. Local governance models, economic conditions, industrial structures, and social values all influence how a policy will play out. What works in Japan might not work in Kenya, and even within countries, what works in one city may fail in another. That’s why the ABCD framework is not a formula, but a compass.
Ultimately, this report urges policymakers to embrace complexity, not avoid it, and to think more like designers than administrators. By focusing on agility, buy-in, convergence, and durability, governments can build policies that are not just innovative, but meaningful, effective, and built to last.
Written in collaboration with the World Governments Summit.
