When your tax money funds software development, shouldn’t you get to see and use what you paid for? It’s a simple idea: if the public pays for it, the public should own it.
Sweden has roughly 300 municipalities, 20 regions, and one state government. Each builds or buys their own software, often solving the same problems hundreds of times over. Imagine if instead:
- Every municipality shared a common, open-source website template
- Healthcare systems actually talked to each other
- Public transit apps worked across regional borders
- Building permits were handled through the same streamlined system
We’re not dreaming big enough. Look at Britain’s GOV.UK - a unified design system and platform that makes government services accessible and consistent. Or Estonia’s X-Road, which connects their entire digital government infrastructure.
The Vision
Picture a GitHub organization called “SwedenPublic”. Inside, you’d find:
- A municipal website template that any kommun can fork and customize
- A standardized API for public transit data
- Shared components for everything from e-services to permit applications
- Security-audited libraries for common government needs
When Malmö develops a better way to handle building permits, Umeå can benefit immediately. When Stockholm creates an improved snow plow tracking system, Göteborg can deploy it before next winter.
Beyond Borders
Why stop at Sweden? The challenges of local government aren’t unique to us. A Norwegian kommun faces the same basic needs as a Swedish one. The same goes for Denmark, Finland, or Germany.
This isn’t just about saving money - though we’d save billions. It’s about building better tools, faster. It’s about transparency. It’s about working together instead of reinventing wheels in 300 different municipalities.
The code is already paid for. Let’s make it work for everyone.