Review of Design Research and Public Policy in the UK
PDR – International Centre for Design and Research are keen to share a recent report by Dr Anna Whicher about design research and policy in the UK. The purposes of this review were to influence future funding agendas in UK Research and Innovation, map the current research landscape and skills provision, showcase UK research on design and policy, foster future collaboration between academic institutions and government, create a case to government to invest in design-led policy and make a series of recommendations.
Of particular interest to BEDA members might be the map of UK policy labs, the map of UK universities teaching design for policy, the emerging skills set of the ‘policy designer’, the timelines of UK university research on design and policy, case studies of research and the recommendations.
Already this report has had some practical impact. The report was widely circulated among government teams and policy labs and fed into a review of the Policy Profession by the Department of Education, which could highlight the role of design in people-centred policy-making across UK government. This research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Access the report here.