Vocabs of The Week / Culture, Social Issues
Queering public policy
To challenge heteronormativity that is deeply entrenched in public policy. To queer public policy is to shape public policy into instruments that serve the overlooked, or people who live outside societal conventions.
Example
Many have raised concerns about how welfare and labor rights are deeply heteronormative. For example, the mainstream idea of a family is that of a mother, a father, and a child/children. Taking leave to care for a member of your immediate family is both a norm and a statutory right. However, the situation becomes much more complicated when one wishes to provide care work for someone — or something — that does not belong to the category of an immediate family member. For example, there is no statutory protection of the right to take leave for a pet or member of a chosen family. Your ability to care for others entirely rests on the discretion of your management. You cannot not seek legal help in case your request for leave is rejected.
Vocabs of The Week / Culture, Social Issues
Undeservedness
Assumptions that certain members of society are the responsibility of public policy, while some are not. Those who adopt the lens of undeservedness hold a world view that one’s vulnerability is a result of one’s own doing. This world view ignores the impact of social determinants.
Example
The language of (un)deservedness has been widely criticized for excluding and shaming those who bear the brunt of inequalities. For example, in a 66-page report on victory over poverty, the Trump administration declared the major problem that remained unresolved was moral declination among the population (e.g. self-sufficiency), which resulted in resources being distributed to poor-but-could-have-been-better households. Many pointed out that such framing tied welfare programs with a policy beneficiary’s ability to perform victimhood and deservedness to earn sympathy and help. It also precluded important discussions about barriers that prevented people’s entry into the market in the first place, or how the economy needed people, but was never for people. For example, economic conditions could trap people in a cycle of poverty despite intergenerational effort of hard work.
Vocabs of The Week
Big Data
Big data means large volumes of data that are diverse, complex, and generated by multiple instruments. The content of data could range from scientific information (e.g. regional patterns of rainfall), to personal information (e.g. digital footprints on social media), and they can be retrieved from various sources — such as people, smart devices, or sensors. Big data can be used to make a more informed decision that improves societal wellbeing.
Example
UNDP Ethiopia, in collaboration with InnoConnect and Addis Ababa Traffic Management Agency (TMA), produced an analysis of hot spots for traffic safety risks and a data visualisation of “the Road Crash Analytical Map of Addis Ababa” that depicts single-car accidents across Addis Ababa city. This data-driven analysis identified risk factors and high-risk locations, both crucial information for designing road safety policies to reduce car crashes.
Vocabs of The Week
Intergeneration
Intergeneration means interconnections between people across different age ranges. In terms of public policy, intergenerational policy does not simply focus on the present reality, it also seeks to address the future by understanding societal issues as major factors that will shape the lives of people across the generations. Intergenerational policy also considers the intimate connection and mutual dependency between people from different generations, and their shared needs.
Example
Since 2012, UNDP has launched a youth empowerment programme called “YouthConnekt.” It is intended to connect African youth who are interested in youth-led development initiatives with important figures in various fields, expanding their entry into an economically empowering environment. Over the past 10 years the programme has supported more than 100,000 local entrepreneurs by providing entrepreneurial education, apprenticeship, and networks of experts. The programme is in line with the UN Youth Strategy, which focuses on youth empowerment and intergenerational interaction.
Vocabs of The Week
Digital Divide
Digital divide means digital inequality characterised by lack of access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), digital literacy, and opportunities to capitalise on the internet for self-improvement or career advancement. The divide is further widened by interlocking systems of inequalities (e.g. gendered oppression, racial/ethnic discrimination, geographical division, and classism) that shape the level of digital inclusion into the society one has.
Example
For example, in 2020, UNDP Philippines produced a critical analysis of barriers to entry into the platform economy for women and other marginalised groups in the Philippines. It was discovered that the digital divide was a symptom of a much larger societal inequalities, namely geographically-related disparities, and that layers of inequalities had a negating effect on the quality of digital interventions across the country. The study suggested that digital inclusion would only be possible when addressed along with other issues on the spectrum of socio-economic inequalities.
Vocabs of The Week
Renew
Renew is a process to rehabilitate neighbourhoods in distress with different means. It could be an infrastructural upgrade that elevates the quality of life for the community members — such as more housing, improved sanitation, and increased connectivity by more public transportation. It could also mean economic redevelopment that boosts local commercial growth.
Example
From 2015 – 2020, UNDP launched the Productivity and Urban Renewal in East Jerusalem Programme (PURE) to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the Palestinians community in the targeted areas. The programme provided economic support to the local community by assisting in the revitalization of key commercial centres of the city, the expansion of the local tourism economy, and local business operation. In addition to commercial development, PURE also aimed to improve dilapidated buildings along the key commercial areas.
Vocabs of The Week
Catalyst
Catalyst means a factor and an action that potentially allows us to achieve a system change. They are not change itself, but play a significant role in precipitating critical events. The impact of a catalyst can be both positive and negative; they can accelerate the success of different initiatives, disrupt the status quo, or usher in the end of things.
Example
The pandemic is one of today’s most prominent catalysts. It gives rise to the “new normal” or unprecedented state of affairs post-crisis that becomes normalised, morphing into our current standard of living. In the labour market, for example, remote working is so prevalent this trend successfully turns into a global workplace norm.
At the same time, the increasing demand for constant connection also exacerbates the digital divide. The responsibility to stay connected becomes a financial burden for many who cannot afford technological convenience or are unsupported by the digital infrastructure.
Vocabs of The Week
Awareness-based System Change
Awareness-based system change means an action research approach that posits that social transformation starts with newer patterns of thinking, and that traditional modes of social intervention (e.g. policies and training) fail to truly grab the roots of inequality unless complemented with a measure to change the paradigm of thought. For this approach, consciousness is understood as a key factor in subverting oppressive ideology that translates into tangible discrimination.
Example
For example, in Baidoa, Somalia, UNDP launched a pilot project on awareness-based system change, with focus on empathy and Nonviolent Communication (NVC). In this project, participants shared their experience with injustice and empathise with feelings and needs of others — notably members of the underprivileged communities.
This resulted in new approaches to dispute resolution, where mediators were encouraged to understand each party in the conflict first before making any judgement. As each party felt heard and was given space to hear another person’s perspective, they were more motivated to follow through with a solution and adopt new mental models rooted in justice and empathy.
Vocabs of The Week
Revolutionise
Revolutionise means a process to cause transformational change to the system. The nature of revolutionary change can be political, social, economic, technological, ecological, epistemic, or involved with other dimensions of the system. Change introduced by the revolution is not inherently beneficial or harmful.
Example
For example, the revolution that haunts today’s world is the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which can be characterised by the digital-physical symbiosis and an unwavering veer toward digitalization of work (e.g. Artificial Intelligence [AI], smart technology, and automation).
Despite its advancement of technology, the social impact of the 4IR can be seen in AI’s failure to produce fairness during decision-making, causing harm to the already-marginalised group. It is therefore crucial to minimise risks as the system is being revolutionised. For example, in order to address lack of AI fairness, the UK government established the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to monitor and regulate unethical use of AI.
Vocabs of The Week
Ecosystem
Ecosystem means a diverse network of participants and organisations that come together to share resources, knowledge and skills in order to build collective capacity for coevolution. United by shared objectives and goals, members of an ecosystem rely on support from each other for collective and personal progress as well as the expansion of their capabilities.
Example
Singapore has embarked on a mission to solidify its social enterprise sector into a robust social innovation ecosystem, The public-private-people (3P) sectors are heavily involved in the promotion of social entrepreneurship. The government has launched a series of initiatives to open doors for young social entrepreneurs, whereas financial giants in the private sector have contributed to funding for social innovation programs.
Intermediary organisations are then tasked to smoothen cross-sector coordination and raise awareness about social enterprises. Collaboration from different sectors resulted in a system that supports innovation sustainably.
Vocabs of The Week
Reinvigorate
Reinvigorate means a process of turning a deserted built environment into a space that serves the current population. Abandoned buildings and areas can be repurposed for different kinds of daily usage, and a single location does not have to be a dedicated space for one activity.
Example
For example, at the heart of Chongqing, China, deserted Air Raid Shelters are used for different social, cultural and commercial activities, ranging from eateries, accommodation, surgery, to agriculture. The Air Raid Shelters become popular among locals and tourists due to its diversity, accessible location and fascinating history, whereas merchants greatly benefit from its relatively cheap rent compared to other commercial areas.
Vocabs of The Week
Policy Canvas
Policy Canvas means a policy tool that shows major elements of a policy. It is typically one-page long, strictly focusing on key concepts instead of comprehensive details. A policy canvas is meant to be revised and iterated in various versions as a concept or an idea is tested with users over time.
Example
A policy canvas is a tool that increases agility and leanness of a policy cycle process, as it specifically draws attention to a handful of relevant factors in policy-making. For example, the government of Rwanda uses it to sketch out a National Broadband Policy, a strategic plan intended to boost the country’s knowledge-based economy by 2050. The core components of this policy canvas consists of beneficiaries, stakeholders, context, process and partners, investment, risks, timing, and overall input.
As the strategic plan is put through the ideation stage, information under each column is updated according to the results of each test. In this way, policymakers will not lose sight of the bigger picture of policies in making and see the evolution of their concept in real time.
Vocabs of The Week
Revitalise
Revitalise means a strategic decision to improve the quality of life in underserved or disadvantaged communities with a set of multidimensional urban developments, such as environmental restoration, rebuilding of the local economy, expansion of cultural and recreational facilities, or provision of social safety net.
Example
Targeted, neighbourhood-based investments are crucial in keeping locality alive. For example, the pandemic not only unleashes waves of national public health crisis, but also debilitating effects on the local economy and the overall wellbeing of the local communities. To cope with precarious development, Hennepin County, Minnesota, decides to request funding for neighbourhood development, creating a space for the community, the commercial sector, and nonprofit use that preserves and creates almost 800 jobs.
Vocabs of The Week
Co-create
Co-create means an approach to develop solutions with people in a democratic and horizontal setting, instead of relying on a top-down policy process where only experts are consulted and their opinions prioritised. Co-creation is a participatory process that fundamentally alters the relationship between the public sector and other stakeholders, notably the public, as all parties are on an equal footing and take part in policy-making in an open and transparent manner.
Example
The top-down approach to policy-making separates policy beneficiaries from policymakers. As a result, people do not feel connected to policies or tools originally intended to serve them. To bridge the gulf between the public sector and people, it is crucial to provide a space that brings all stakeholders to collaborate with one another on policy design. For example, the EU Policy Lab engages people and other stakeholders in addressing important policy issues. With insights drawn directly from future policy beneficiaries, together they create tailor-made frameworks for formulating and experimenting with different policies.
Vocabs of The Week
Breakthrough
Breakthrough means a significant advancement in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, which include socio-economic and environmental sustainability, equity, and the total eradication of poverty. Breakthrough solutions can come in many different forms, ranging from local initiatives to Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs).
Example
Creating a society where no one is left behind is the beating heart of human-centred policy-making, and to arrive at that scenario requires a wide range of solutions. For example, the municipality of Bogota, Colombia, takes up a gender mainstreaming project called the Gender Equality Seal to integrate gender issues into its core. As a result of this effort, the local government successfully identifies and reduces unpaid working hours for women in care services.
Moving to environmental conservation, Argentina is one of the countries that incorporates Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) into its structural planning. The country has created a special unit to coordinate with provinces and municipalities on matters of climate change specifically.
Vocabs of The Week
Divergent Thinking VS. Convergent Thinking
Divergent thinking is an ideation process that aims to ask as many questions about project needs as possible, and to generate a wide range of solutions as a response.
Convergent thinking is an ideation process in which one uses logical reasoning to select ways forward from pools of options.
Both divergent and convergent thinking are two sides of the same coin. They complement each other by providing creative ways to understand problems and solutions as well as a logical framework to pick definite answers.
Divergent thinking seeks to kickstart a brainstorming process. It leads us to pursue the questions of “what do we need?” and “how about…?” that leads to all kinds of possibilities. The aim of this thinking is for people to bounce ideas off each other in a freestyle manner. Convergent thinking, on the other hand, provides a meaningful conclusion by focusing on what could be done. This thinking narrows the extensive list of options down to a few suitable solutions.
Both paradigms of thinking are equally crucial to policymakers, as creativity can help us see beyond the periphery of our vision, whereas logical steps take us towards the “right” path to our objectives.
Example
Ask your colleagues about what a project is missing, or propose a set of hypothetical scenarios, and ask what they would do if a project undergoes such circumstances. Open-ended questions are effective in drawing out a variety of answers. After a brainstorming session, we can establish parameters for evaluating different options. They could be potential for further development or the degree of feasibility exhibited.
Vocabs of The Week
Place-based solution
Place-based solution is a problem-solving approach that seeks to address the specificity of local issues, situations and knowledge by using participatory methods to involve key stakeholders in identifying a set of solutions that answer to the needs of communities and cover as many layers of problems as possible.
Example
Contrary to the “one-size-fits-all” approaches of policy making, or a problem-solving method that glosses over social contexts surrounding issues and differences of needs among policy users, place-based approaches offer a wide range of solutions that are tailor-made for local circumstances. Putting communities at the heart of the operation, these approaches mobilise key actors across sectors – notably community members, to engage in policy design. Policies, when suitably localised, are able to respond to the diversity of hopes and fears and the context-specific complexity of issues on the ground.
Vocabs of The Week
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of what makes us human by considering the history of biological evolution, the construction of the society, and how we behave and interact with each other. Anthropology asks us not to jump the gun, but to think about the way we think, especially the impact of our social context on our framings.
Example
Anthropology helps us revisit what we deem necessary, urgent, or expendable, and what could be the consequences of allowing such thinking to undergird our research and projects. On the other hand, anthropological methodology also emphasizes the on-the-ground, human-centered approach. It provides tools to engage key actors and historically excluded communities in the policymaking process. In this way, we can better understand differences of needs, priorities, and living circumstances in various groups.
Vocabs of The Week
Driver
A driver causes change(s) in the structure. A single driver can be responsible for multiple new developments, such as a new trajectory of business, behavioral changes, or the constant configuration of new social values. Drivers are forces of changes that can have more than one effect in the structure.
Example
The idea of efficiency-driven smart cities might push local governments to rethink their administrative approach, but in order for a city to be “smart,” it also relies on massive gathering of citizen’s data, which raises the concerns of privacy. As policymakers, we must grapple with the complexity brought about by such developments, and strike a fine balance between progress and justice.
Vocabs of The Week
Equity
Equity is the belief that imbalance of power and resources between the dominant and marginalized groups must be dismantled, so that everyone can enjoy the same opportunities of living. While equality insists that the law and the government shall not treat anyone differently, the principle of equity urges us to act upon differences between individuals.
Example
In a society where wealth and power are unevenly distributed, some communities still lack access to opportunities or means to improve quality of life. If we give everyone the same amount of support, chances are that the gap between privileged and underserved groups will become increasingly widened. Therefore policymakers should consider different needs and circumstances of living, so that more resources can be allocated towards those at a more precarious position than others. With sufficient support and opportunities, the marginalized communities will be able to stand on an equal footing.
Vocabs of The Week
Facilitate
To facilitate is to moderate a conversation, encourage and empower participants to express their thoughts while keeping conversations within the intended scope. A facilitator needs to ensure that participants share their opinions
and empathically engage with other people’s perspectives before taking
any further actions.
Example
As a dialogue session could touch on complicated topics, it could put many people in an uncomfortable spot. It falls on facilitators to create a safe space for discussions, so that all participants can have equal opportunities to share their experiences and listen to other people’s stories. Facilitators are also there to nudge participants towards a more focused conversation, summarizing and clarifying talking points as well as broaching questions that deepen their understanding of issues at hand.
Vocabs of The Week
Ideate
Ideate is to generate as many potential ideas and solutions as possible. This process is generally facilitated in a collaborative setting, using different ideation tools. Although the ideation process is mainly associated with the usefulness of ideas, it is less about coming up with the “best solutions’ than it is about imagining what we might do in different situations.
Example
To ideate is to collectively proceed with the question “how might we?” For example, we can conceive the best case scenario in which our policy works, and what needs to be done in order to achieve that effectiveness. By using the Worst Possible Idea technique, we can simultaneously design the worst case scenario and identify a list of Don’ts – or the solutions that might not work out at all.
Vocabs of The Week
Spectrum
Spectrum is the entire range of things, as opposed to the binary system which reduces a multitude of concepts and perspectives into a false dichotomy. We live in a system where the social, economic, political, ecological, and cultural dimensions interact with, and influence, each other. Rather than focusing on a handful of problems, policymakers are encouraged to consider the system in its full spectrum, or to look at the relationships between each driver, and the impact brought about by them.
Example
The underlying factor for the abandonment of ageing family members could be as personal as it is structural. Inequalities (e.g. the rich-poor discrepancy, gentrification, oppressive gender norms) play a significant role in shaping the trajectory of one’s family and, by extension, the ability to support one’s family members.
Vocabs of The Week
Myth
A notion about certain things that is considered to be true. Such presumptions rest on beliefs and shared values in a certain time, shaping our perception of the world. In other words, we do not see the world as it “is.” We see it through a socially constructed lens.
Example
One of the most powerful myths in Thai culture is “blood is thicker than water” or “biological family matters the most,” and that nuclear family is the greatest family structure of all. This myth emphasises the responsibilities of family members, leading to regulations and policies that prioritise biological family (e.g. paid family leave). However, circumstances have forced many to sever familial ties and choose kinship outside the legal and cultural convention of family. Therefore, when discussing policy related to care or population, policymakers must bear in mind other possibilities of family structures and bonds as well.
Vocabs of The Week
Metaphor
A figure of speech that compares one thing to something else in order to render the subject of discussion more relatable or more easily digestible.
Example
A metaphor mirrors one’s understanding of this world (e.g. the “the world is but a stage” statement). As it contains the unique perspective of the utterer(s), we can use it as a window to look into the human landscape of thoughts and emotions. Take, for example, the comparison between COVID-19 response and war. This expression implies the innate hostility of the virus and the necessity of threat neutralisation measures. It is crucial to know what kind of imagination policy metaphors convey, and the risks/consequences that such policy frameworks might entail.
Vocabs of The Week
Narrative
Narrative means the way in which ideas, experiences, accounts of real or fictional events are told.
Example
To build partnership and engagement, policymakers are encouraged to use stories to garner attention and support from a target group. A narrative could take place in the realm of text. It could also emerge when relevant statistics are stitched together to substantiate your policy draft. In essence, storytelling is about constructing the reality that serves your purpose, and what appears objective and unbiased – such as numerics – is part of the story, too.
Vocabs of The Week
Entry Point
“Entry points” are small-scale causes that can be traced back to a larger, more complex problem. They act as a starter for tackling structural issues.
Example
After the core problem is deconstructed into a variety of issues, policymakers are able to identify ways to address the problem from different angles. For example, to reduce health-related vulnerabilities of the marginalized, policymakers must work out solutions for diverse parties, such as the inaccessible healthcare system or underserved communities.
Vocabs of The Week
Bright Spot
“Bright spots” refer to individuals or organisations whose work yields success despite the adverse surroundings.
Example
By making sense out of bright spots, we are able to understand conditions that enable workers to operate with efficiency, and determinants pivotal to their long-term success. Each smart city, for example, experiences the digital transition differently. Lessons about features that generate positive outcomes and reception in cities can be used to inform future urban development strategies.
Vocabs of The Week
Dynamics
Dynamics can be understood as change in the policymaking process, influenced by the system and key actors.
Example
When designing a policy, issues, goals, tools, the style of the decision-making process, decision-making power of each participating actor, and concerned institutions will be clearly defined. However, such decisions could be overturned due to various factors. For example, after carefully studying proposed solutions, policymakers might find the definition of a core problem too narrow or loose, or the said definition is challenged by stakeholders. Adaptability and flexibility is the key to a process so mutable in nature such as policymaking.
Vocabs of The Week
Decolonization of Development
To decolonise is to reckon with, and deviate from, the colonial legacy that is development. Think of how the industrialised Western is hailed as the bedrock of progress, while the rest are deemed socio-economically backward. It is essential that we challenge this logic, interrogating the way we see “targets of development” and searching for non-mainstream knowledge.
Example
Environmental resource management requires both scientifically proven methods and knowledge on the grounds, as they are not mutually exclusive. We can see that the “modern” way of operation is not entirely without faults. To fill the gaps, it is essential to revisit a footprint science left on the target audiences, and go beyond our epistemological box, looking for non-professional experts who are willing to offer their knowledge, such as the indigenous peoples.
Vocabs of The Week
Sustainability
Sustainability is an approach that grounds our action in the socio-economic-environmental needs and interests of the future generations.
Example
Tourism is, undoubtedly, one of Thailand’s most significant industries. It is also evident that many local communities experience unfavourable changes due to unregulated influx of tourists and heightened intensity of consumption. Eco-community tourism is a viable alternative that helps community members to take control of both business and environmental management and earn additional income. The latter benefit is extremely crucial to communities that substantially rely on natural resources, such as fishing villages. A more sustainable tourism reduces the need to constantly harvest for living, allowing the environment to self-restore naturally.
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Cascade Effect
Cascade effect is a string of inevitable or unforeseen events that occur after certain action causes change(s) in the system.
Example
One of the factors for modern public administration is the online database. Not only does it yield ease of information access, all the virtual libraries offer the impression that we no longer need resources to distribute and publish offline documents. However, since data centres chronically consume energy to keep the system running at all times, they inevitably contribute to carbon emission which is a cascading effect of online databases. To tackle climate catastrophe with more efficiency, we have to take into account the carbon footprints of the virtual factory of data.
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Gender Mainstreaming
Gender mainstreaming is a strategic approach that centres all decisions on gender equality. Each activity from community-based collaboration, annual budgeting, research, to policymaking is carried out while taking into account gender issues.
Example
Ever since the pandemic first dominated the global scene, inequality in education has been one of the social issues that receives most attention from the general public. Previously, conversations around this topic primarily focused on the digital divide, leaving room for analysing the impact of the pandemic on both education and gender justice. We can start by asking ourselves a few questions: what, exactly, is happening to the students of the LGBTQ+ community? What is the interplay between homophobia at home and absence of access to support systems outside?
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Digital Democracy
“Digital Democracy,” also known as E-democracy or Internet democracy, is the utilisation of information technology and online platforms in policy and governance. This has helped broaden transparency and civic engagement in public policy processes.
Example
“Better Reykjavik” is an example of a digital democracy platform. It is an online platform for the crowdsourcing of solutions to urban challenges where people come to express their community development ideas, policy ideas, or even take part in participatory budgeting.
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Inclusivity
Inclusivity is a foundational principle of democratic society and policy design. Inclusivity means embracing everyone regardless of their age, gender, or any socio-economic backgrounds. It is to eradicate obstacles to participation.
Example
Policymakers are about to host a seminar for people to come and voice their opinions about public issues but a majority of those who have registered are middle-aged men. This can result in one-dimensional discussion. To be inclusive, policymakers should encourage more diverse demographics to join.
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Deliberative Method
“Deliberative method” is an approach in participatory policymaking. The method involves not only experts and policymakers but also common people, to participate and decide through in-depth discussion, seeking new ideas, and making decisions. The approach often combines research and consultation and is often used with highly-contested issues.
Example
Policymakers want to implement a policy for Thai citizens to have universal access to tertiary education, but the issue is acutely debated throughout society: some disagree wholeheartedly and some are entirely against it. In this case, a deliberative method can be utilised for policymakers to research similar case studies to present to society, and for people in society to have profound discussions, to find a better solution for all.
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Intervention
In terms of policy making, an intervention is designed to disrupt an ongoing social trajectory which, if proceeds, can wreak havoc on society.
Example
Climate change poses risks and increases insecurity for people around the world. In this case, policy makers should consider using policy interventions to mitigate climate change damages such as measures to encourage the use of renewable energy.
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Worldview
A “worldview” comprises one’s set
of beliefs, assumptions, attitudes and interpretations of life experiences. Certain worldviews may encourage us to sympathise with others
but, in the meantime, some can perpetuate subconscious bias
as well.
Example
A policymaker should reflect upon their own worldview to not let subconscious bias get in the way of policy design. Imagine a policymaker who is designing a measure to support low-income families but the policymaker holds an unbending individualist worldview that a person ought to entirely take care and depend on themselves. The emerging policies could fail to capture the role of the state in building effective infrastructure and social safety net for citizens.
Vocabs of The Week
Deep Culture
“Deep culture” is a system of values so deeply ingrained in social life that it roots in our thoughts, emotions, perception and judgement. Deep culture is part and parcel of our everyday life knowingly and unknowingly.
Example
Policymakers can make use of deep culture for more effective policy design. Think about a culture of gratitude towards parents so deep-rooted in Thai society which encourages children to take care of their ageing parents, therefore, to design social welfare for elderly, policymakers should understand this deep culture.
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Social Listening
Social listening is a process of tracking social media platforms to listen to users, to analyze conversations and trends. The business sector often employs social listening to identify consumer needs. With social listening tools, policymakers can track conversations about chosen issues to understand current social matters and people’s needs.
Example
To gain deeper insight into mental health problems facing Thai youths, Thailand Policy Lab used social listening tools to scan and analyze expressions of the Thai youths on social media platforms. This has helped Thailand Policy Lab to understand the youths better and the information obtained can be used in policy design that responds to actual needs.
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Sandbox
Typically, a sandbox is a box filled with sand that children play with, in which they build sand castles, destroy, and recreate. Policymaking needs a space like a sandbox to innovate and to conduct a small and temporary trial.
Example
How do we save the forests? Implementing a full-scale, nationwide policy all at once could sometimes do more harm than good. A more efficient starting ground is to start with a sandbox i.e. a small patch of forest to try out a policy and scale up later if it works well.
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Human Insight
Human insight is the process of trying to understand another human being with empathy. It is to observe what people think and feel as well as their social contexts, goals and obstacles in life. In a way, having human insight is a spirit of good policy design that sees humans as humans, not just subjects of the state.
Example
The younger generations have expressed their concerns about the cost of living and working conditions but some of the older generations do not seem to understand. As a policymaker, understanding such a phenomenon requires human insight, seeing from other humans’ perspectives, the first-jobbers receive a salary that does not reflect living cost and their economic condition is different from the past. Such human insight can help policymakers identify the right policy questions, for instance, how to make wages correspond with the living cost and how to create better understanding across generations.
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Ethnography
Ethnography is a branch of anthropology in which researchers immerse themselves in the community of their study. The researcher thus observes, converses, and tries to blend in with people in a particular community, and actively participates in their way of life. In other words, ethnography is a type of social research that involves a high degree of empathy.
Example
To gain greater understanding about homelessness, a researcher can spend time among homeless persons for several months. This has helped the researcher gain human insight into the causes of homelessness, and the conditions of those without homes. Ethnography can be adopted into policy design for a better understanding of people who policymakers are unfamiliar with. The bottom line is to maintain research ethics when conducting ethnography.
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Cross-Cutting
‘Cross-cutting’ in terms of policy making is to hypothesize that a subject matter or a challenge always intersects with one another. And this applies both ways, if a problem is cross-cutting, so is the solution.
Example
You are a policy maker and you want homeless individuals to have security in life. In this case you have to take various cross-cutting factors into account, considering that homelessness cross-cuts mental health, physical health and socio-economic issues. It also involves many authorities such as the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Ministry of Public Health, and the hospitals.
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Deep Dive
To ‘deep dive’ is to conduct an intense analysis of a subject matter or an issue. This is a method that can be deployed by individual or team to ideate, brainstorm, or solve problems.
Example
What should we do for survivors of domestic violence to easily access health care and the police? A team of policymakers should take a deep dive into the issue by intensively brainstorming and conducting a research: Who are the survivors? How many and where are they? Who are the responsible authorities? How can we solve this?
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Trial and Error
‘Trial and error’ is a part and parcel of a policymaking process. Policy design is a scientific method where you try and fail, over and over again, to achieve effective results. A policy maker should not be afraid of trial and error but they should learn from experimentation towards policy effectiveness.
Example
Imagine you are solving the traffic jam in Bangkok. As a policy maker, when you design a policy model you should take into account all the variables such as road conditions, weather, quality of public transportation, or even social norms. You have to adjust the variables and try and probably fail a few times before you discover the effective results.
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Agile
Agile means active and fast. In terms of policymaking, it means working with the utmost efficiency and readiness so as to respond and adapt to constant changes, not adhere to old plans and approaches that no longer work.
Example
Vocabs of The Week
Systems Thinking
Systems thinking entails observing issues from diverse perspectives in order to come up with comprehensive solutions. It is like looking at issues from a bird’s eye-view so that one can solve problems in an all-inclusive fashion.
Example
Imagine trying to tackle malnutrition in children, what will you do? The same-old policy might provide free lunches to disadvantaged children across schools. But if you apply #systemsthinking, you are going to ask some broader questions: Do these children still face starvation at home? How can parents make ends meet and earn enough to raise their children? Can these disadvantaged children access welfare and what kind of welfare can ensure their life security? Which government agencies are responsible? Contemplating broader questions, and looking at things from a bird’s-eye view can result in problems being solved in an all-inclusive fashion.
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Futures Thinking
The future can be volatile but the role of public policy is to anticipate the future and be prepared for volatility. Futures thinking means analyzing future trends and coming up with possible future scenarios to implement policies that are adaptable to change and the world of tomorrow.
Example
The future can be volatile but the role of public policy is to anticipate the future and be prepared for volatility. Futures thinking means analyzing future trends and coming up with possible future scenarios to implement policies that are adaptable to change and the world of tomorrow.
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Horizon Scanning
A foundation of great #foresight which is a tool used in the initial stage of forecast to spot changes and threats so that forecast is effective in the sense that we are prepared for either crises or opportunities. The tool also allows us to bring together knowledge from different fields.
Example
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Sensemaking
An exploration of meaning defined by diverse viewpoints and experiences. In a way, it means opening up space for people to share their ideas and collectively explain their insights to expand our scope of knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of situations. In policy design, sensemaking allows policymakers to see from different points of view and design policy that leaves no one behind.
Example
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Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand deeply about other people’s feelings and lived experiences. In policy making processes, it is to revise your assumptions and deeply understand other people’s feelings and lived experiences and how policies are going to cast upon people’s lives.
Empathy in policymaking processes leads to better and more responsive policies.
Example
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Non-Linear Thinking
Non-Linear thinking is human thought characterized by expansion in multiple directions, rather than in one direction, and based on the concept that there are multiple starting points from which one can apply logic to a design of solutions and policies.
Example
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Reimagine
To “reimagine” something is to think outside the box, away from the same-old approaches. To reimagine policymaking is to think about how policymaking can be adapted or transformed from what we have always done, to what is highly effective and creative, and not let oneself automatically go along the path that has always been taken.
Example
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Citizen-Centric
A citizen-centric approach is at the core of humanistic policymaking. It places citizens’ well-being at the heart of everything, instead of the mindset that civil services do not necessarily have to provide convenience to the people. Citizen-centric policymaking renders every policy effective since it is based on real-world practices and on the actual needs of the citizens.