The Capacity Challenge: Governing in an Era of Rapid Scientific, Technological, and Economic Change

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The public relies on government to evaluate both the promise and potential risks of widespread use of new technologies.  This study examines how federal agencies function given the rapid pace of technological innovation, which requires new evaluation routines and expertise.  For example, health applications using CRISPR/Cas9 technology intentionally alter DNA, posing new types of ethical and safety concerns.  Self-driving cars require the National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration's (NTHSA) to build expertise in cloud-based technologies and cyber-security. The study documents how federal agencies meet challenges, and assess opportunities and barriers when faced with new technologies. The study identifies best practices for federal agencies seeking to improve performance, manage the potential risks of new technologies and enhance the environment for scientific and technological innovation. This research contributes new thinking about how to support the development of sufficient public technical capacity in order to meet the current pace of scientific and technological innovation.  Several current cases are evaluated to assess how government agencies are responding to rapid technological change. This study draws from research that identifies the practices private sector firms use to remain competitive in fields of rapid scientific and technological change. Firms invest in their own technical capacity and encourage exposure to innovations across a variety of technical domains. This study asks whether the same principles of investing in internal technical capacity and encouraging exposure to diverse technical domains can support innovation in federal agencies. Because federal agencies face distinct circumstances, the study identifies practices that public organizations use to create and maintain technical capacity that are not relevant in studies of private sector firms.