Advancing policy design through creative engagement with lived experience: the Tomorrow Party

Area of Science:

• Public Policy
• Social Science Research
• Design Thinking

Background:

• Effective policy design requires rigorous analysis of problems, interventions, and outcomes.
• Traditional policy analysis often overlooks the valuable insights from individuals directly affected by policy.
• Bridging the gap between analytical rigor and lived experience is essential for impactful policy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how lived experience can actively inform and enhance policy design.
• To introduce a novel method for generating stakeholder insights into desirable future states.
• To assess the applicability and value of creative citizen engagement in policy development.

Main Methods:

• The study introduces the 'Tomorrow Party,' a creative design method focused on eliciting future-oriented stakeholder insights.
• This method facilitates novel perspectives by engaging citizens in envisioning desirable future states.
• Pilot studies were conducted to test and evaluate the 'Tomorrow Party' method.

Main Results:

• Initial findings from pilot implementations suggest the 'Tomorrow Party' method is effective.
• The method successfully generates novel insights from stakeholders regarding future policy goals.
• Evidence indicates broad applicability of the 'Tomorrow Party' as a policy design tool.

Conclusions:

• Creative engagement with citizens, as facilitated by the 'Tomorrow Party,' offers significant value to policy design.
• The 'Tomorrow Party' method represents a broadly applicable tool for advancing policy design by integrating lived experience.
• Future policy development can benefit from incorporating such creative, citizen-centered approaches to ensure relevance and effectiveness.