The Rise of Policy Innovation Labs: A Catalog of Policy Innovation in the United States (1st Edition)

129 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2020

See all articles by Adam Wellstead

Adam Wellstead

Michigan Technological University

Sun Nguyen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: January 3, 2020

Abstract

In recent years, governments worldwide have been embracing new and innovative ways to develop public policies and design public services using a variety of methods including crowdsourcing, human-centered design thinking, and economic behavioral nudging. This trend in government innovation has led to the rise of the Policy Innovation Lab (PIL): individual units, both inside and outside of government, that apply the traditional principles of scientific laboratories — experimentation, testing, and measurement — to a host of emergent issues including the rise disruptive technologies, social problems, and environmental concerns.

PILs are an increasingly important development in public policymaking, with a variety of methods and approaches to building relationships between governments, organizations, and citizens, and generating ideas and designing policy. However, these labs are under-researched: Many are established without a full understanding of their role and value to the policy community. We aim to address this knowledge gap and create opportunities where policy innovators can make connections with their peers and learn about the current practices and applications of policy innovation from one another.

In 2018, the Centre for Policy Innovation and Public Engagement (CPIPE) at Ryerson University published The rise of policy innovation labs: A catalog of policy innovation labs across Canada. This effort led by Dr. Bryan Evans identified policy innovation labs (PILs) across Canada. We replicate CPIPE’s methods and format in order to identify operating in the United States. This report is part of a larger NSF sponsored project examining PILs in the United States.

This report identifies the innovation labs in the United States, profiling their methodologies, projects, and partners, mapping the policy innovation landscape across the country. Each one-page summary provides a profile for each lab and highlights the existing innovation practices and networks in the public, academic, non-profit, and private sectors, and identifies methodological and ideological trends across the different labs and networks.

In this highly dynamic space, new labs are emerging and disappearing all the time. The purpose of this report is to put a spotlight on policy innovations and their successes and to build and strengthen connections between researchers, policymakers, and policy innovators. Through a strengthened and sustained community of practice, we hope to see governments continue to embrace new approaches for effective policymaking.

Keywords: policy innovation labs, United States

Suggested Citation

Wellstead, Adam and Nguyen, Sun, The Rise of Policy Innovation Labs: A Catalog of Policy Innovation in the United States (1st Edition) (January 3, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3513548 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3513548

Adam Wellstead (Contact Author)

Michigan Technological University ( email )

Department of Social Sciences
Houghton, MI 49931
United States

Sun Nguyen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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