Develop Public Policies through Design Thinking

When I read about Design Thinking some years back I thought this was all about architecture and engineering. For many years I had no clarity about this subject. Around 4 years back I got a chance to undergo a one year fellowship on Climate Action at Anant National University Ahmedabad. Because of COVID 19 pandemic we had to continue with this programme through online mode. On a daily basis I along with 15 more fellows had to undergo regular classes for 3 to 4 hours and during this time I got to know that the university where we were undergoing the fellowship programme was actually a Design University and happened to be India’s first Design X University. During the course of my interaction with Prof Anunaya Chaubey, the Provost of Anant National University Ahmedabad, I got to understand that Design Thinking was more than just a process. The application of Design Thinking is essential in every field of life especially to ensure better governance. This is much needed in Jammu & Kashmir especially as most of our centrally sponsored schemes are not implemented properly on the ground. I have come to this conclusion that public policy making is basically a design activity but this isn’t taken up that way especially in a place like Jammu & Kashmir.

Problem Solving approach

Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach characterised by empathy and curiosity to explore more and more. This further opens ways to interpret how target populations engage with their world. For a huge and diverse nation like India which had distinct geographies and diverse cultures the design thinking plays a crucial role. The policies that are formulated by NITI Ayog or some other national level institution can’t be uniformly implemented from Tamil Nadu to Tripura or Kashmir to Kerala? During my interaction with Prof Chaubey I discussed the issue related to the rural waste management programme that is undertaken under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin in J&K. We have not been able to get the desired results on the ground and the reason is lack of design thinking. For many years this author has been writing about snow clearance work in rural areas to be taken up under MG-NREGA but this isn’t done at all as NREGA guidelines doesn’t allow this work because there is no physical asset creation. The design thinking would have addressed this issue , had the policy makers in Delhi allowed to make changes in the NREGA policy? There exist gaps between how governments operate and what the citizens expect from the government.

Innovative approaches

The goal of design thinking is to equip governments with innovative approaches to face contemporary challenges such as inter-connected and diffused economic and social patterns, more complex problems, blurred governance boundaries, and reduced trust in public action. Design thinking is an explicit human and user-centred approach. It leads to solutions that are progressively refined through an iterative process of providing voice to end-users and engaging them in shaping decisions. When I tell the Forest Department to address forest fires they tell me there is lack of manpower? To protect our streams and rivers from illegal mining the Fisheries and Mining Department officials also say they have handful of ground staff ? Had our policy makers ideated and brainstormed on these issues through design thinking approaches, J&K Govt could have found the solutions to these complex problems. In addition to using modern Drone Technology to guard our forests, rivers or streams we can also find solutions through Indigenous Knowledge System and Practices (IKSP) and this is possible only through design thinking approach. More solutions can be found provided our politicians , bureaucrats and policy makers take design thinking seriously.

National Education Policy

Design Thinking is an essential part of the New Educational Policy-NEP. The NEP 2020 discusses reducing curriculum content to enhance essential learning, critical thinking and holistic experiential, discussion-based and analysis-based learning. On 29 July 2020, the union cabinet approved a new National Education Policy with an aim to introduce several changes to the existing Indian education system, which will be introduced in India till 2026. The NEP 2020 emphasizes integrating design thinking across educational stages to nurture creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This shift aligns with modern, interdisciplinary learning that combines science, arts, and technology, fostering skills for a rapidly changing job market.

Conclusion

The Public Policy development is basically a design activity but our legislators, bureaucrats and policymakers are unaware of this fact. We can define Design Thinking as a problem-solving approach characterised by curiosity and empathy, which seeks to interpret how target populations engage with their world. For a huge and diverse country like India, it has been pointed out that there exist gaps between how government institutions operate and what the citizens expect from them? In a place like Jammu & Kashmir where many Govt schemes are marred by corruption and mismanagement it is important that legislators, bureaucrats, policy makers and engineers be imparted series of trainings on Design Thinking so that we ensure better implementation of govt schemes on the ground.

 Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat is Acumen India Fellow and Founder & Chairman of J&K Right to Information Movement. He is also Anant Fellow for Climate Action