Rethinking policymaking as designing

Policymaking sits at the intersection of political intention, institutional structure, and design practice. In recent years, “design for policy” approaches have gained traction, with policy labs and experimental units adopting tools such as user research, co design, and prototyping to tackle complex societal challenges. Yet, much of this literature focuses on the integration of design professionals into government ecosystems, rather than on policymaking itself as an inherently creative and deliberate process of design. Current research often treats design as an external contribution to policy systems instead of recognising that public actors already engage in the purposeful configuration of structures, processes, and institutional capacities. A growing body of evidence—spanning policy design scholarship, design studies, and governance research—points to the need for a deeper understanding of policymaking as designing: as the intentional shaping of governance architectures, policymaking processes, administrative systems, and regulatory frameworks that underpin democratic functioning. However, despite growing recognition of design’s strategic role, systematic evidence on how design choices are made, institutionalised, and evaluated remains limited, particularly in relation to how their outcomes shape the delivery of public value across scales and contexts.This Research Topic aims to advance a more comprehensive understanding of policymaking as an act of design. It seeks to connect conceptual reflection with empirical inquiry, assembling contributions that examine how governments, agencies, and public servants deliberately design or redesign institutional arrangements to realise political ambitions and societal goals. Specifically, it invites analyses that explore how the design of public structures and processes determines the functioning, legitimacy, and adaptability of governance systems. It also aims to interrogate how design choices are made visible, negotiated, and assessed, and what evaluative frameworks can capture their impact on public value. Contributors are encouraged to question whose design decisions count, how accountability and participation are structured into these processes, and what tensions or trade offs emerge when institutions are purposefully reconfigured to meet evolving societal demands.To gather further insights into policymaking as designing, this Research Topic welcomes multidisciplinary approaches bridging public administration, political science, and design research. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:• The deliberate design or redesign of public infrastructures, institutional capacities, and legal frameworks to achieve political objectives.• Comparative studies examining how different governance systems adopt design thinking or design like approaches.• The roles and interactions of policymakers, civil servants, researchers, and practitioners as designers of public value.• Empirical investigations of orchestrated, cross organisational initiatives such as reforms, programmes, or mission oriented efforts viewed through the lens of design.• Approaches to evaluating purposefully designed interventions, including the development of metrics, key performance indicators, and frameworks for learning and accountability.• The tensions, trade offs, and unintended consequences that arise in the intentional reconfiguration of public systems. Topic editors: Amy Lee, Jenny M Lewis, Federico Vaz Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82072/rethinking-policymaking-as-designing