It is a stylized fact that the policymaking process is bounded by context and politics. Policymakers and public managers are rarely conceived as “designers” in the same sense as product or service designers. Increasingly, however, there is a realization that even within these constraints, there are degrees of freedom and room for creativity that policymakers and public managers can exercise to ensure effective policy design, that is, policies which are likely to succeed in being adopted, implemented, and possibly even replicated. These degrees of freedom allow policymakers and public managers to embed design features such as empathy, behaviour change, technology, and experimentation into policies and also factor in complexities and uncertainties to ensure robustness and resilience in the delivery of the policy. Importantly, the design approach to public policy underscores the importance of collaboration and co-production in the policymaking process, wherein non-state actors such as the private sector, civil society, academics, international organizations, and so on play a key role in informing, shaping, and designing effective public policies.

For more information or any questions, contact Suman Verma: suman-exed@iima.ac.in | +91 92277 93191