The fourth in our series of Political Innovation essays - this one is about opening up policy research to the public.
This is a guest cross-post by Ivo Gormley – originally posted on the Political Innovation site here
Although Government claims to want our participation and wants us to appreciate its policies, it hides the evidence on which it bases its policies in fat documents and reports that are hard to read and only available free at special events at think-tanks around Whitehall. If we want participation in politics in a way that goes beyond choice we need to share policy research in a way that engages people and invites their comments, ideas and understanding.
I propose that as part of the development of a white paper which is likely to result in a social impact, an ethnographic documentary exploring the lives of those who will be affected should be produced. This documentary would be based on existing research and would allow a more accessible and jargon-free way of engaging with the issue.
Following the television or web broadcast of the documentary there would be a defined period of time for public debate and feedback. The documentary and the public feedback would then be inputted to a policy design meeting at which the policy’s stakeholders could also be present.
The process would bring transparency and participation to an area of government that appears very closed.
Numerous governmental organisations, from the Department of Health to local Government, are starting to put more of an emphasis on qualitative research. Organisations are becoming aware of the importance of understanding their users and are commissioning research in order to do so. Yet still, most of this research is kept private or is not designed to be consumed by the public.
By focusing on the existing experiences of the user, or those affected, an ethnographic documentary commissioned from inside government departments, could provide a platform for informed public debate and collaboration between state and citizen in a way that would side-step party-political leanings.
The approach will both qualify and invite comment at the same time: a publicly aired exploration of the real lives of those who will be affected by a policy provides a level playing field for comment and idea generation. To an extent, it also educates viewers in the policy context and so qualifies them to comment. Crucially, it would often bring useful evidence into the process from sources that are not usually involved.
Bringing the public exploration of policy context – from the point of view of those affected – into the process of developing and proposing a new policy could have significant affect on the relationship between government and citizens. It would allow more creative ideas to come from a wider range of sources and allow a formal and powerful opportunity for citizens to influence government. It would also help to create a mandate which may lead to faster implementation of those policies.
By inviting the public into the process of developing policies I believe we can get better policies and more efficient government.
About Political Innovation
We’d be very interested to hear any ideas that you have for an essay of your own –we’ll need an email and we’ll want to discuss it with you before it goes on the site. All contributions will be archived on www.politicalinnovation.org – along with details of what we’re looking for from essayists and a bunch of FAQs and a guide to how we hope the whole thing will play out.
I hope you’ll get involved in this as a commenter, participant or maybe even as an essayist. Make sure you don’t miss anything by joining our Google Group, subscribing to the blog RSS feed, getting each post emailed to you and, of course, following us on Twitter and Facebook.
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
5 Responses to “PI no. 4: See change: Opening policy research to the public”
Paul Evans
The new @ivoivo article for @picamp is up on Left Foot Forward now http://tinyurl.com/34z33uy
Political Innovation
RT @leftfootfwd: PI no. 4: See change: Opening policy research to the public: http://bit.ly/buSGMK – @PICamp essay no. 4
Political Innovation
RT @Paul0Evans1: The new @ivoivo article for @picamp is up on Left Foot Forward now http://tinyurl.com/34z33uy
Slugger O'Toole
The new @ivoivo article for @picamp is up on @leftfootfwd now http://tinyurl.com/34z33uy – on Slugger earlier http://tinyurl.com/359fu2u
Lily Greenan
RT @Paul0Evans1: The new @ivoivo article for @picamp is up on Left Foot Forward now http://tinyurl.com/34z33uy