In the United States, something as seemingly absurd as DOGE – the Department of Government Efficiency – has stirred strong emotions. An experiment, an initiative, or a provocation? Perhaps all three. But while this system is controversial where it’s being tested, it also raises questions for those of us across the Atlantic. Why couldn't – or rather shouldn't – we start thinking in similar terms here in Sweden? Not to copy, but to confront what we know deep down but seldom dare to address: our societal systems are often sluggish, inefficient, and outdated.

We live in a country where the welfare model has long served as a kind of national identity. And sure, there’s a lot to be proud of. But it’s also painfully clear that many of our public functions no longer keep pace with reality. IT projects that collapse, construction projects that go over time and budget, bureaucratic labyrinths where decisions take years – sometimes without any tangible outcome. This isn’t the exception anymore; it’s the norm.

The Question We Must Ask: Do the Systems Actually Work?

We’re quick to point fingers at individuals when something goes wrong. But the question rarely asked is: does the system in which that person operates work at all? Are our rules, routines, roles, and structures adapted to today’s world – or are they remnants of a past era?

For decades, we’ve patched and patched again. New demands are layered on top of old ones, resulting in complex structures no one truly understands. Here are some of the most telling examples:

1. The IT Failures: When Digitalization Leads to Digital Confusion

Public sector IT projects deserve a chapter of their own. Healthcare systems that can't communicate with each other. Educational platforms that crash at term start. Social services systems that complicate more than they help.

One of the most infamous cases is the Swedish police's PUST system – a digital reporting platform introduced only to be scrapped after massive investment. It was seen by users as an obstacle, not a tool. But this was far from an isolated incident.

In 2022, the Swedish National Audit Office reported that many public IT investments lacked clear goals and impact assessments. There was no strategic guidance – and perhaps most importantly: no real understanding of what the systems were supposed to achieve.

2. Construction Projects Breaking Time and Budget

Everyone’s heard of the New Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm – the most high-profile construction project in modern Sweden. Originally budgeted at 14 billion SEK. Final cost? Over 60 billion, according to some estimates. And yet, the expected functionality and efficiency were still missing.

It’s no one-off. From arenas to subways, school buildings to highway projects – the list of overruns is long. Root causes? Vague procurement models, inability to handle complexity, and a toxic culture of shifting responsibility rather than owning it.

3. Organizations Where Responsibility Doesn’t Follow Mandate

Many public organizations are structured in ways where responsibility is blurred. Managers carry responsibility but lack the mandate to make decisions. Project leaders control budgets but not the resources. This doesn’t just create inefficiency – it breeds frustration, burnout, and ultimately systems that slow themselves down.

New ideas are often stifled not because they’re bad, but because no one is sure who has the final say. Or because it takes five signatures, three investigations, and one consultation round before a decision can even be proposed.

4. Loyalty to the System – Not the Outcome

There’s a deeply rooted culture where loyalty to the system matters more than the actual result. What counts is following the protocol – not solving the problem. If something goes wrong, the key defense is to show that all steps were followed, not that an effort was made to fix it.

This encourages passivity and risk aversion. It doesn’t reward creative thinking or courage – it rewards staying within the lines. But reality, as we all know, often demands something else entirely.

So What Can We Learn – Not from DOGE as a Model, but from the Idea Behind It?

DOGE is controversial and comes with its own set of issues. But it’s still a radical attempt to do something different: to hold the public sector accountable to one question – are we delivering real value or not? Are we serving the public, or ourselves?

This provocation is healthy for Sweden too. What if we dared to ask similar questions, adapted to our context? What if we brought together the best minds from the public sector, civil society, and business – not to write another policy document, but to truly challenge broken structures?

What if we prototyped new ways to organize the public sector? Less hierarchy, more responsibility. Less paperwork, more results. Less fear, more courage.

What’s Needed?

1. A New Kind of Leadership
   We need leaders – in government and public institutions – who aren’t afraid to speak about system failures. Who don’t just blame others, but take responsibility for steering change. Leadership is no longer about maintaining order – it’s about redrawing the map.

2. A Courageous Citizenship
   Change won’t come from above unless it’s demanded from below. We need citizens who question, who engage, who say: this isn’t good enough. A movement of people who demand functionality over formality.

3. A Culture That Allows Failure
   Not all change will succeed. But we need to start trying. That requires a culture where it’s okay to test, fail, learn – and test again. Small prototypes can fail. What we can’t afford is failing at scale – as we do now.

4. Technological Maturity – Not Hype
   Digitalization isn’t a magic fix. It’s about using tech wisely – where needed, and in ways that actually improve operations. That requires technical skill, yes – but also deep organizational understanding.

5. Real Simplification
   Complexity kills effectiveness. We must be brave enough to simplify. From regulations to internal processes. From control to trust. People do their best work when they’re trusted, not micromanaged.

We Stand at a Crossroads

Sweden has a chance. A chance to prove that a modern welfare state doesn’t have to be slow, bureaucratic, or outdated. That it’s possible to combine security with innovation, responsibility with action.

But it won’t happen on its own. It will take courage to ask uncomfortable questions. To admit that much of what we cling to – not because it works, but because it always has been – no longer serves us.

We don’t need DOGE. But we do need what DOGE represents: the courage to question the system when the system no longer works.

Every failed IT project, every busted construction budget, every frustrated public worker who leaves their post saying “nothing can be changed” – is a blinking warning light.

It’s time to blink back. With courage. With action. With systems that actually work.

Scott Bessent & Sam Corcos on DOGE’s mission to cut Waste, Fraud & Abuse