Governing in turbulent times
That is how governments avoid being trapped in the “eternal present”, even when the news cycle is determined to become the unofficial minister for everything.
Project update: Building institutional architecture for governing climate tipping points
TIAL’s “Tipping Element Interchange” project focuses on developing new institutional architectures capable of recognising and responding to nonlinear and cascading climate risks. The project has three parts: first, identifying the institutional architecture building blocks for generating knowledge and connecting it to the kinds of actions that are needed to both avoid and adapt to environmental
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Reimagining public institutions: reflections from Istanbul, Berlin, and Brasília
TIAL’s purpose is to highlight the role of institutions, and their underlying architecture, in creating large-scale and lasting positive change in society. Over the past months we have run a series of workshops in three very different cities — Istanbul, Berlin, and Brasília — to explore what it takes to imagine beyond the institutional architectures
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Rethinking institutions in an era of demographic transition
This report outlines approaches for rethinking institutions for an era of demographic shifts in Finland. It is the result of a partnership with the Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra.
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The “Interchange” project: Toward an institutional architecture for representing, recognising, and responding to tipping elements
The project focuses on building the foundations for a closer connection between science and traditional ecological knowledge and political and economic decision-making as well as cultural narratives that drive action.
DOGE done better? The case for progressive efficiency and a streamlined state
DOGE Done Better, a new paper written by TIAL’s Geoff Mulgan and published by Demos (UK), offers a model for redesigning government that balances efficiency with intelligence, legitimacy, and long-term purpose.
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TIAL x Sitra: Designing institutions for a new demographic reality
Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, and the Institutional Architecture Lab (TIAL) have partnered to explore how institutional innovation can help Finland navigate the challenges of demographic transition.
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Playbook: Designing new institutions and renewing existing ones
This Playbook was developed as a collaboration between UNDP, TIAL and Demos Helsinki. It is a living resource that can help teams have a conversation about strategy and tactics for renewing existing or designing new institutions. We developed this for Istanbul Innovation Days 2025. You can find a flip-book version of it here. Why do we
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Legitimacy: Working hypotheses
What does it truly mean for an institution to be legitimate? This publication delves into legitimacy as both a practical asset and a dynamic process, offering institutional entrepreneurs the tools to understand, build, and sustain it over time.
Toolkit: Legitimacy Lens – A guide for building and maintaining legitimacy of new institutions
This toolkit is a ‘lens’ through which institutional entrepreneurs can refine strategies for creating and maintaining legitimacy.
