The Promise of Co‐Design for Public Policy

Blomkamp, Emma

doi:10.1111/1467-8500.12310

Cited by 238 publications

(244 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Yet, conservation takes place in complex social‐ecological systems, thus requiring an understanding of the complex biophysical and social processes of the system, as well as the different meanings and values that people attach to them (e.g., Ban, Mills, & Tam, ). Successful conservation therefore relies on the codesign of policies, strategies, and programs that meet multiple objectives and diverse needs and priorities (e.g., Blomkamp, , Nel et al., ). Mental models research offers a useful set of methods to elicit and share complex knowledge structures and reveal assumptions that influence support for when, why, and how species and ecosystems should be conserved (e.g., Game, Meijaard, Sheil, & McDonald‐Madden, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental models for conservation research and practice

Moon

Guerrero

Adams

et al. 2019

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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Conservation practice requires an understanding of complex social‐ecological processes of a system and the different meanings and values that people attach to them. Mental models research offers a suite of methods that can be used to reveal these understandings and how they might affect conservation outcomes. Mental models are representations in people's minds of how parts of the world work. We seek to demonstrate their value to conservation and assist practitioners and researchers in navigating the choices of methods available to elicit them. We begin by explaining some of the dominant applications of mental models in conservation: revealing individual assumptions about a system, developing a stakeholder‐based model of the system, and creating a shared pathway to conservation. We then provide a framework to “walk through” the stepwise decisions in mental models research, with a focus on diagram‐based methods. Finally, we discuss some of the limitations of mental models research and application that are important to consider. This work extends the use of mental models research in improving our ability to understand social‐ecological systems, creating a powerful set of tools to inform and shape conservation initiatives.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental models for conservation research and practice

Moon

Guerrero

Adams

et al. 2019

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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“…It does so to explicitly address the dearth of realistic appraisals of service design work, particularly around issues of power. As Yoko Akama (2009) and others (Blomkamp 2018;Kimbell and Seidel 2008;Pierri 2017) have noted, service design-related case studies often lack critical reflection, in part due to non-disclosure agreements or a reluctance to air challenges that may dampen emerging interest in a new field. The outcome of authors offering only a starry-eyed view of their discipline is that newer practitioners and future clients do not understand how difficult and complex this work is, nor learn about risks and how they can be mitigated, as Pierri emphasizes: "serious analysis of agency and power are long overdue alongside more optimistic accounts of collaborative design projects, which are seen most of the time as ethical and good in their own right" (2017, S2952).…”

Section: A Cautionary Notementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given its roots in participatory design, co-design can aspire towards a similarly democratizing function. It can both empower participants during the process of co-design and result in artifacts that are empowering for end users (Blomkamp 2018). However, co-design is a practice that requires a sincere thoughtfulness and skilled facilitation.…”

Section: Co-designing For Politics and Pragmatismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing for Dynamics of Agency in NYC Homeless Shelters

Radywyl

2019

Ethnographic Praxis

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Public sector innovation (PSI) is an emerging multidisciplinary field that is attracting practitioners from a wide range of sectors and industries, with a correspondingly broad set of skills and experience. PSI aims to significantly improve the services that a government has the responsibility to provide by taking a user-centered, partnership-based approach, from service content development through to methods of service provision (OECD 2012). Yet the work is complex and not without risk, if undertaken without appropriate foresight, thoughtfulness, and rigor. In particular, when it comes to pursuing PSI in the design of social service policy and its provision, some of the more substantial risks lie hidden in systemic power imbalances that can easily be exacerbated, despite practitioners' best intentions. This article uses a case study about homeless service provision in New York City (NYC) to offer a candid portrayal of undertaking research and design work in PSI. It highlights common challenges and risks, as well as best practices for mitigating them. The issue of power is examined through the lens of agency, as it's a productive framework for helping to identify and work with the power dynamics that circulate between everyone involved in PSI design projects: the project team, research and design participants, intended end users, and the government client. In the spirit of making a pragmatic contribution to a burgeoning field, this article ultimately advocates for a reflexive practice. Working reflexively means inhabiting a mindset of self-awareness, reflection, and never 'turning off' as a researcher. This reflexivity enables practitioners to navigate the complexities of PSI design work, and ultimately, to better support their government agency client and those that the agency is aiming to serve. EPIC Proceedings 319 Project ContextNavigating Home aimed to understand why the task of assisting NYC shelter residents in finding permanent housing is executed with varying degrees of success across the general population homeless shelter network. The project's focus was two-fold: understanding what makes some shelters 'positive deviants' (Pascale, Sternin, Sternin 2010) that consistently meet their move out targets; and understanding how housing specialists -a shelter staff member who assists residents in navigating NYC's housing market, understanding subsidies, and applying for housing -might be best leveraged to impact move-out rates.PPL was enlisted to design and test interventions -such as tools, materials, and processes -that would support both frontline staff and residents in the effort of gaining and maintaining permanent housing. As a non-profit public sector innovation (PSI) lab that partners with government agencies to address challenges faced by low-income and at-risk Americans, PPL combines systems thinking and human-centered research, design, and evaluation methods. PSI is a growing field that aims to innovate public sector service provision through partnership-focused and user-centered practices. The PP...

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“…A defining feature of the shift in discourse from “collaboration” and “partnerships” to all‐things “co” is the significant policy and practice traction it has gained in a relatively short time frame. It draws heavily on participatory design and design thinking . This language is being adopted by the state and national governments, non‐government organisations, private enterprises and philanthropic funders .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…17,18 This language is being adopted by the state and national governments, non-government organisations, private enterprises and philanthropic funders. 18 The promise of co-design is expansive. It is increasingly being espoused as an expectation in consultation and needs assessment work; embedded into commissioning and contracting processes; described as best practice in emerging monitoring and evaluation frameworks; and outlined as a preferred way of engagement in health strategies and policies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%