As part of their ‘Changing Landscapes’ research series, Civica International engaged the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS:IPPG) to research how local governments in Australia and New Zealand are involving citizens in the design and delivery of services, using the lens of co-design as an approach. The research informed a new report from Civica International, ‘The Changing Landscape: Co-design; different ideas from a different voice’.
The research included interviews and case studies from a range of councils across Australia and New Zealand to explore how councils are involving citizens in service design and delivery, and in particular whether co-design approaches are being used. The role of digital technologies to enable and support community involvement in service design and delivery was also a research focus, as Professor Roberta Ryan states “Any discussion of how the public sector reaches out to involve stakeholders and citizens to support its decision-making and delivery of services has to take into consideration the emergence of new technology, mainly through participative web and social media”.
Headline findings from the research and report include:
- Co-design and co-production as an approach to service design is in early stages. It is an emerging practice for local government and communities working together to plan services.
- Co-design requires councils to view community members as more than service users, and to understand and appreciate the community’s skills set.
- Digital technologies can provide vital civic infrastructure that creates spaces for community members and government to connect in co-design
- Involvement in service design has intrinsic value for communities and builds understanding of why local government matters.
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