Leadership in the public sector has always demanded resilience. This is best exemplified by three elements: 1) the ability to hold long-term vision steady while reacting to short-term pressures, 2) to build consensus across institutions that do not naturally cooperate, and 3) to keep an organisation moving when the ground shifts beneath it. Digital transformation has sharpened all of these demands. The leaders steering this process need more than technical knowledge. They need self-awareness, the capacity to build the team and trust it, and the judgment to know when a crisis is also an opportunity.

In this episode of the Digital Government Podcast, hosted by Merle Maigre, Head of Cybersecurity at e-Governance Academy, we hear from Taimar Peterkop – former State Secretary of Estonia, former Director General of the Information System Authority, and now Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy. Drawing on over two decades at some of Estonia's most consequential institutions, Peterkop shares practical wisdom on what it takes to lead through change and crisis – with honesty and without pretending to have all the answers.

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Following Estonia’s example, Ukraine is launching a Personal Data Access Monitoring Subsystem embedded in Trembita, the government’s secure data exchange platform. The mechanism allows every Ukrainian to see who accessed their personal data stored in government registers.

In this episode we host Yurii Kopytin, Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy, and Hannes Astok, our Executive Director, about what transparency means in practice in Ukraine and, on the side, in Estonia too.

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The topic of data protection spans the entire spectrum of the internet, from when users surf the web to when they benefit from efficient online services as citizens.

Cookie banners, privacy policies, GDPR compliance notices – all and more. And yet, for how practical the concept and its implications are, it still remains quite abstract for many. The rules exist, across the globe, actually, but the reality of what happens to your data most often stays invisible.

Estonia has taken a different approach. Through the Data Tracker, every Estonian citizen can log in and clearly see who has accessed their personal data in government registers, when it was accessed, and for what purpose.

In this episode of the Digital Government Podcast, we speak with Maarja Kirss, Head of Cooperation at the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate (DPI), about what happens when transparency becomes a working system for the government.

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Future prosperity is increasingly rooted in assets that defy traditional measurement. While we continue to track roads built and services delivered, much of what shapes our collective future lies in more subtle dimensions: trust, ethical governance, institutional coherence, and the bonds that allow people to thrive.

Consider, for instance, the value of public trust in institutions. It is not something governments can purchase or quickly generate, yet it is essential to the success of everything, from vaccination campaigns to digital identity systems. Likewise, the design of a citizen portal that treats users with dignity can foster a sense of agency and belonging. Hard to capture that in budgets or audits.

Eeva Hellström, Senior Lead in Foresight and Training at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, helped us reflect on that at this year’s e-Governance Conference. So let’s consider here the deeper layers of value creation and ask how digital governance can become a vehicle for long-term prosperity.

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In this episode, governance expert Margus Sarapuu cuts through one of the biggest myths in government transformation: that digitalisation and public administration reform can happen separately. Spoiler: they can’t.

From Estonia and Ukraine to Moldova, Bangladesh, and Kosovo, Sarapuu shares why digital reforms often stall and how governments can avoid the trap of layering shiny tech on top of unreformed bureaucracy.

If you’re looking at how to build resilient, future-proof governance systems, this episode is a must-listen.

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Governments worldwide are eager to harness AI — yet many remain stronger on ambition than readiness.

In this episode, “The Learning Curve for Effective AI in Government,” we talk with Piret Hirv, Head of the Data Management Competence Centre at the e-Governance Academy, about what it takes to turn AI pilots into lasting impact in public services.

We also speak with Oscar Del Campo Barxias, Deputy Director General for Entrepreneurship of the Community of Madrid, who shares the lessons learned for implementing AI in public services in the Madrid region.

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In this podcast episode with Dr. Lili Milani, Head of the Estonian Biobank and Professor of Pharmacogenomics at the University of Tartu, we discuss how Estonia’s national biobank has become a trusted platform where science, ethics, and personal agency meet.

The Estonian Biobank began as a research initiative focused on the genetics of disease, but over time, its purpose has deepened and broadened.

“The original goal was to understand how genes relate to diseases so we could improve care,” Milani explains. As more participants joined and the scope of available data expanded, the Biobank grew into a national tool for real, tangible benefits to people’s personal lives.

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Two decades ago, Estonia made democratic history. In 2005, it became the first country to hold legally binding national elections using internet voting.

At the time, it was a bold and technically complex initiative. But twenty years later, i-voting has not only endured – it has grown to become the preferred method for a majority of Estonian voters.

What can we learn from this story of digital continuity? In this podcast episode, Liia Hänni, digital democracy expert and former Estonian Minister, and Arne Koitmäe, Head of Estonia's State Electoral Office, take us through a journey in retrospect – without forgetting to look ahead.

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