Rebooting a Nation

'A historical, technical and cultural portrait of this small, singular nation and its efforts to build a society that is both user-friendly and cutting-edge. I found fascinations and pleasures at every turn, and something greater in the whole. At a time of democratic uncertainty and destabilisation across the West, this is a rich and thrilling parable of rescue: a vision of what the future--if we're lucky--could turn out to be.' -- <b>Nathan Heller, <i>The New Yorker</i> staff writer</b> 'An illuminating exploration of Estonia's transformation into a global digital pioneer. Joel Burke captures the essence of innovative, bold policy-making that turned a small nation into a trailblazer in e-governance and the startup ecosystem. For anyone intrigued by the intersection of technology, governance and societal resilience, this offers profound insights and inspiration.' -- <b>Audrey Tang, Taiwan's Cyber Ambassador-at-large, and former Minister of Digital Affairs</b> 'An in-depth explanation of how a poor, small, formerly Soviet-occupied country became a world leader in e-governance, dramatically cutting bureaucracy and slow, clunky services, increasing transparency and citizen satisfaction with a seamless government, all while maintaining citizens’ privacy far more robustly than in any paper-based country. Burke shows how a nuanced yet wildly innovative approach has allowed Estonia to leap-frog ahead of the rest of the world.' -- <b>Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former president of Estonia</b> 'A striking example of a country transformed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Burke provides a compelling analysis of Estonia's incredible rise, from startup revolution to global leadership in e-government.' -- <b>Armen Sarkissian, former president and prime minister of Armenia, and author of <i>The Small States Club</i></b> 'Paints a fascinating picture of how Estonians leveraged their unique circumstances after the fall of the Soviet Union to develop software, systems and culture that expertly marry together technology and the public sector.' -- <b>Bradley Tusk, author of <i>Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy</i></b> 'In an era when the U.S. government and defence industry must innovate to maintain global leadership, Joel Burke's look at how Estonia became a powerhouse in tech, e-government and cyber comes at a critical time.' -- <b>Raj M. Shah, Managing Partner of Shield Capital, and author of <i>Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War</i></b> 'What has Estonia been doing right? This is the go-to book on one of Europe's most important and most influential countries.' -- <b>Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics, George Mason University<b>