The Nexus between Design and Policy: Strong, Weak, and Non-Design Spaces in Policy Formulation

Abstract

This paper frames the idea of design spaces in policy formulation identifying three types (strong, weak, and non-design) and describing their characteristics on the basis of a three-folded ana- lysis: an exploration in the design literature to under- stand how scholars are reporting on the connection between design and policy and identifying a debate mainly focused on policy outputs (public services) and policymakers' capacities; an exploration of policy literature to analyse design in policy formulation and depict a focus on processes of policy development; a con- nection with practitioners’ points of view through a small ser- ies of interviews with policy experts covering different roles. The notion of formulating better policies through establishing optimal design spaces is built upon to result in the descrip- tion of three spaces where design impacts policy formula- tion, establishing a meso-level of reflection that provides a link between design and policy as theoretical reference for further empirical experimentations.