Evening-Break Session: From Taiwan to Germany’s Digital Ministry: Building Government with Citizens

Dates, times, location

Date: 28 April 2026
Time: ~1:35pm - ~2:05pm
Location: Exhibition Stage

Inspired by the open source movement and digital participation efforts in Taiwan, SPRIND is collaborating with the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernisation (BMDS) to explore how frontier technologies can deepen trust by giving the public a direct role in shaping policy. At the heart of this work is a long-running ministerial hackathon, where citizens help define the scope of challenges and collaborate with administration to tackle real, often painful problems within the state.

This talk shares the ideas, methods, and early learnings behind this approach – including large-scale deliberation and new voting mechanisms – and invites technologists, designers, and entrepreneurs to contribute to solving these challenges together with government.

Who is Leon?

Leon Erichsen is a research-driven product manager working with SPRIND on digital participation. His work focuses on building a political economy of justice – spanning democracy, markets, and coordination. He has worked with organisations like Human Passport, Gitcoin, and the RadicalxChange Foundation, and collaborates with Plurality communities around Audrey Tang and Glen Weyl.