How Can Co-Design Become an Embedded Practice?

The problem: Insights from Co-design efforts can become lost in policymaking processes.

Why it matters: Good policy design must take account of the lived experiences of the people who will be most affected by policy change.

The solution: By thinking like advocates, leaders of Co-design efforts can improve their engagement with policymakers in government and improve their capacity to identify situations where Co-design could contribute to significant policy change.

A longer version of this article co-authored with Lisa Grocott, Shanti Sumartojo, and Philippa Goddard appeared in Policy Sciences and can be read here.

In this age of social media, we observe a curious phenomenon. While citizens everywhere appear to have many platforms through which to express concerns over public problems and what should be done about them, opinion surveys suggest widespread frustration with the actions of governments and governing elites. Mistrust of government is expressed by many people, including those feeling the rough end of inadequate social policies, gaps in policing and homeland security, and the emerging impacts of climate change.

Against this backdrop, a range of efforts have been made to incorporate practices drawn from design into elements of the policymaking process. These efforts often seek to bring the knowledge of people with relevant lived experience to bear upon policy design. Our interest lies in the emerging field of Co-design in policymaking. In particular, we seek to understand the ways that policy development is being informed with insights of those living with specific problems and existing policy settings.

Co-Design: Opportunities and Barriers

Evidence suggests Co-design in policymaking can be especially useful in broadening participation in policy development, encouraging creative speculation about how policy choices might shape future outcomes, and prototyping policy approaches to assess their feasibility and desirability.

As things stand, however, Co-design in policy remains an emerging field. While some elements of this practice appear highly promising, evidence underscores the barriers that preclude Co-design practice from greater engagement with – and influence upon – policy development in many public sector settings.

These barriers include convincing traditional policymakers inside government that Co-design has unique and important contributions to make. A valid concern arises that Co-design, for all its merits, could come to be seen as a curiosity, something of limited practical relevance to broader policymaking activities. Much that is vital would be lost in such a scenario. But we acknowledge the challenges associated with transforming Co-design into an embedded practice in policymaking.

Risks arise, such as the potential for poor approaches to be adopted when engaging in consultation, or for engagement to appear tokenistic. What can be done? We think practitioners, policymakers, and advocates of Co-design could do more to embed Co-design in policymaking.

Co-Design: From Emerging to Embedded Practice

Co-design practitioners must effectively bridge the gap between their activities and established processes of policymaking in government. Importantly, the existing literature on Co-design frequently indicates the ambition of those leading Co-design efforts. It also indicates their tenacity in seeking to improve conditions for those living with particular challenges that call for effective policy responses. As people continue to facilitate Co-design efforts, they build their credentials and credibility as contributors to policymaking. Further, given the highly social nature of Co-design practices, those who lead them demonstrate sociability and high levels of social acuity. As such, they exhibit attributes also found in policy entrepreneurs – those energetic actors recognised for their efforts to drive dynamic policy change.

One way to embed Co-design in policymaking would involve deploying current strengths of Co-design practice to improve engagement with policymaking in government. Interpersonal goodwill, trust, and buy-in could all be enhanced by promoting interactions between Co-design leaders and people in government. It is those people who will ultimately need convincing that insights and proposals emerging from Co-design activities merit incorporation into on-going policy development efforts.

Summary

Co-design is especially useful for broadening participation in policy development, encouraging creative speculation about how policy choices might shape future outcomes, and prototyping policy approaches to assess their feasibility and desirability. But evidence continues to emerge regarding the barriers that preclude Co-design practice from greater engagement with – and influence upon – long-established, tightly-held processes of policy development. Leaders of Co-design initiatives can help embed Co-design in policymaking by:

• Identifying the best entry points for engaging with established processes of policymaking.

• Engaging frequently with government policymakers to build goodwill, trust, and buy-in towards Co-design initiatives.

• Continually showing how evidence and insights from Co-design can contribute powerfully to policy development.

These suggestions for enhancing Co-design opportunities call for strategic thinking, deliberate action, and significant relationship management. But they are what’s needed if Co-design is to become embedded in policymaking whenever policy choices hold significant implications for the experiences of citizens.