Doctoral Researchers

Design-led public service innovation. Solving wicked problems through design thinking and social entrepreneurship

Innovation is at the core of public sector reforms around the globe. Design and design thinking is increasingly becoming recognised as a distinct human-centered approach to dealing with wicked problems as well as a force to drive creativity and innovation within the public sector. This dissertation explores emerging case studies where design and civil servants interface to address wicked policy fields, and asks why are design-led approaches of value to public administration?

Various institutional arrangements ranging from public-private partnerships, government labs and innovation units serve as testing beds to prototype or improve public sector services, to become more responsive to societal needs through participatory engagements between government and civil society. Empirical analysis with focus on ethnographic field research, comparative case studies, and expert interviews to understand the inherent challenges and opportunities in the conception of public sector innovation. How do designers approach these seemingly intractable policy fields as their subject matter; and to what extent do the 'designed outcomes' have an effect on Public Administrations?