Public Policy Lab

The UK portion of my Big Hot Learning Summer™ was a fantastic three weeks of mind-expanding conversations with designers, researchers, civil servants, and futurists. I posted notes earlier on the first part of the trip (see https://lnkd.in/e-vid_sC ), and here now are ⚡15 more interesting things✨ that people said or resources they shared, particularly on the design of future systems for public value: “Avoid the trap of interesting but not useful.” The Policy Lab UK’s ethnographic film practice 🤩(https://lnkd.in/eJwfxK5y) More than human: future communication with whales 🐳 (https://lnkd.in/ey_ZgxXw) Different Wales: Jane Davidson’s advice, “Use the administrative state as a lever.” Heather Barnett’s work with slime mold, “a participatory experiment inviting groups of people to engage with non-human notions of collective intelligence.” (https://lnkd.in/e2C7xTxD) “Measure time in terms of influence rather than duration.” Benjamin H. Bratton’s speculative design research on the “accidental megastructure” of planetary-scale computation (https://www.bratton.info) Formative vs. performative evaluation: the latter as “a boundary object” — or an act of care. The British Army’s Combat Estimate, a.k.a., the Seven Questions, are an Agile management tool (https://lnkd.in/eGHtggmN) 'Panarchy': "the structure in which systems, including those of nature (e.g., forests) and of humans (e.g., capitalism), as well as combined human-natural systems (e.g., institutions that govern natural resource use such as the Forest Service), are interlinked in continual adaptive cycles of growth, accumulation, restructuring, and renewal." (https://lnkd.in/ebUF3Cda) The Cayman Islands are “tax neutral.” (https://www.gov.ky/economy) inTENSE, a “lifestyle magazine from the future” by Futurity Systems (https://lnkd.in/ePeHDNhY) Stephen Bennett on Meow Wolf, an artist-led space in a former old bowling alley in Santa Fe (https://lnkd.in/eMigtdxY) UNDP Accelerator Labs network: 90 global locations supporting 115 countries! (https://lnkd.in/ePAaWHMJ) A prompt for young colleagues: “Someday you will be a leader. What kind of leader will you be?” Big thanks everyone at School of International Futures (SOIF) and Policy Lab UK for amazing hosting, plus to Federico Vaz and Andrew Knight for the good talks and extra 💕 to Dr. Camilla Buchanan and my learning partner 👯Nora Clinton. All insights theirs, errors mine!

Peer researcher onboarding complete! 🎉 Row and Norberto are joining our Higher Education in Reentry Reimagined team working to streamline pathways for reentry into college for those released from prison. With lived experience of the prison-to-college transition, they'll be providing invaluable contributions to the project's planning, research, and implementation. We're so happy to have them! Read more about the project on our website: https://lnkd.in/eV77--Fp

Yesterday, my colleague Raj Kottamasu and I presented The People Say (https://lnkd.in/eZ4rcsZ8), our new public platform for civic research, at EPICpeople, my favorite annual gathering of applied human researchers.🤩 EPIC folks, please do follow up with us! We are serious about making this platform available for other researchers — as well as in driving new research with older adults with our partners at The SCAN Foundation, and in developing new research with other communities that require ⚡more ambitious and meaningful policy delivery.✨ And if you weren't in Santa Monica yesterday, check out EPIC's site at https://lnkd.in/eyST_ZKq for more on this wonderful research community — and reach out to learn more from our crew at the Public Policy Lab about The People Say (https://lnkd.in/eZ4rcsZ8).

Attention! The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University is seeking civic designers to help build resilient and thriving communities through innovation. If you are: 🔹 A believer in the power of human-centered design to make the world better 🔹 Passionate about improving user experiences in the public sector 🔹 Enthusiastic about designing better processes, programs, and policies in cities Openings are available in the following U.S. cities ⤵️ 〽️ #Lansing, #Michigan 🌽 #Cleveland, #Dayton, and #Akron, #Ohio 🏖️ #NewportNews and #Hampton, #Virginia 🪻 #Chattanooga and #Nashville, #Tennessee 🔗 Apply today at https://hubs.ly/Q02LKQS70 #CivicDesign #PublicInnovation #DesignCareers #InnovationJobs #UrbanPlanning #UXDesign #BloombergCities #HumanCenteredDesign

Dispatches (2): #EPIC2024 Research Matters ↓ ↓ ↓ I spent EPIC’s second day talking with applied ethnographers who want to do good. Some of them are changing the world. Researchers with the United States Digital Service built complex coalitions and kept millions of people on Medicaid (and saved millions of dollars). Alyssa Kropp, Emily Mann, Heather Myers, and Izzie Zahorian taught me about "Administrative Burden" and how co-design can overcome. Public Policy Lab blew my mind with "The People Say," a public database of qualitative interviews with older Americans. Chelsea Mauldin and Raj Kottamasu pushed me to consider how to ensure research findings have impact (way) beyond a single, insular study. I met a ton of people, went to two after parties, and took notes. Thanks to Katherine Metzo, PhD 🇺🇦 and Evan Hanover for helping me situate current practices in history. As well as my awesome colleagues Elizabeth Heywood and Thomas Wright, PhD for hanging all day. Today it's my turn to take the stage! #epicpeople #ethnography #awesome https://lnkd.in/dpcH--jM

New York City has provided compassionate care for more than 210,000 asylum seekers since 2022 — but for some of these migrants, New York City wasn’t their final destination. We've been working with the city to improve Reconnections, a service that offers a voluntary, no-cost, one-way ticket to a chosen destination outside of the city. Alongside asylum seekers and the staff who support them, we co-designed tools to raise awareness and understanding of the program, rebrand its imagery and messaging, and improve communication amongst people in the asylum services network. We can’t wait for these tools to go live and to get more asylum seekers connected with long-term support. Head to our case study page to learn more. https://lnkd.in/eR-rj5ny

It’s almost time to pack our bags and head to the west coast! We’re thrilled to announce that three PPLers will be presenting at this year’s EPIC People Conference in Los Angeles. Our executive director Chelsea Mauldin will be speaking on the Ethnographic Research Leadership: Arriving, Surviving, and Thriving panel. Our head of design John Payne will be co-hosting a salon on Challenging Civic Tech Foundations. And our senior principal Raj Kottamasu will join Chelsea in presenting a talk about The People Say, our recently launched public research platform elevating the voices of older adult to catalyze more human-centered policymaking. Will you also be at EPIC2024? Let us know what programs you’re most excited for! https://lnkd.in/gCddqPYQ

In her article “Cause, Effect, and the Structure of the Social World,” Megan Stevenson explores the limits of evidence-based policy reform and impact evaluation. Our team read and discussed this article as part of a recent PPLunch, a bi-weekly internal gathering where we share knowledge and explore new ideas. During our discussion, we asked ourselves hard questions like, “How do we, as designers, create lasting impact in a social world that resists change?” and “What is the purpose of evaluating the impact of our work?” There were no easy answers, but some of our takeaways included: 1) always tailor interventions for the local context, 2) use qualitative research to reveal what other evaluation methods may miss about the causes of social change 2) aim towards large-scale systemic reforms, as opposed to limited-scope interventions. If you haven’t read this article yet, we highly recommend it! Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

⭐ Check out "The People Say," a unique digital catalog capturing older adults' healthcare experiences. Developed by The SCAN Foundation and the Public Policy Lab, it offers essential insights for policymakers to improve health and well-being for seniors! ___ #healthcareinnovation #healthequity #seniorcare #policymaking #agingwell #publicpolicy #healthdata #eldercare #healthaging #healthcarereform

We can't wait to join Carrie, Luis, Martha, and Autumn for a panel on Ethnographic Research Leadership at this year's EPIC conference!