Design for Policy
Book by Christian Bason, CEO of Danish Design Centre (DDC)
Reviewed by Maren Maier
Issue 14 Spring | Summer 2015
Governments around the world are under extraordinary pressure to identify more cost-effective ways of producingpublic services and better societal outcomes. To encourage public sector reform, public sector leaders are beginning to explore alternative tools for policymaking, including creating innovation in the policy process itself.
In Design for Policy, Christian Bason points to new applications for design-led processes in policy development. He invites contributors ranging from local and central government officials to design thinkers, public management experts and academics to share their ideas and experiences with design practice in live policymaking. Each contribution illustrates how design can offer unique research tools, emergent collaborative approaches and tangible outputs to help give form and shape to policy innovations.
This book is a great resource for government departments, public service organizations, universities, think tanks and consultancies that are interested in engaging with design. It not only offers insights into practice; it also explores how best to navigate the inherent cultural differences between designers and policymakers, with the goal of achieving a symbiotic partnership that can unlock the full potential of design in a public sector organizational context.