Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Policy design denotes a conscious effort to marshal governing resources and direct them towards the attainment of government goals. A design typically involves the creation of a mix or bundle of policy tools which can reasonably be expected to work together to attain a government goal or goals. Although a relatively old area of interest in the policy sciences, policy design remains in the nascent stage with respect to paedagogy in the academy. The purpose of the focused discussion is to examine aspects of how the subject is currently taught in policy schools and programmes and draw on those experiences to improve instruction and outcomes. Participants will set out the topics which existing courses typically cover, explain their importance to the field, and how they are typically addressed in coursework. This will include topics such as what is policy design and how it has evolved; policy tools and portfolios; persuasive design, targeting and compliance; who are the policy designers and how do they think and operate; what is meant by policy effectiveness; what are design best practices; how designs and designers deal with uncertainty, conflict and controversy; and also what are the future directions in which the field is heading, why and what this means for future design paedagogy and practice. The discussion will examine paedagogical techniques deployed in these courses across the globe dealing with differences between undergraduate and graduate level instruction, case-based instruction, and on-line and distance learning.