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Reported by Matthew McGuire, ESRC-Funded CSaP Policy Intern (October 2015 - January 2016)
Earlier this month, CSaP partnered with the Royal Academy of Engineering to host a meeting on how engineering thinking and methods could be applied to policy problem-solving. The meeting was attended by a number of CSaP Policy Fellows from a broad range of organisations representing government, think tanks, and the private sector.
A lively discussion, led by Dr Alan Walker (Head of Policy, Royal Academy of Engineering) and Dr Andrew Chilvers (Policy Advisor, Royal Academy of Engineering), quickly reached consensus on the current range of advisory methods and techniques being offered to policy professionals within – and outside of – central government.
Structured policy problem-solving
Within this context we considered where engineering thinking aligns with existing approaches to policy problem-solving, such as design thinking and project management.
Discussants suggested that instead of considering the difference between engineering and other methods, an integrated approach to systems and structure might be fruitful. There was an emerging sense that what these approaches have in common is that each provide structured problem-solving, and each draws upon systems thinking.
The discussion went on to consider what gaps still exist within the advisory landscape, and what might assist policy professionals in their navigation and selection of appropriate policy problem-solving techniques.
Participation from the attending Policy Fellows, and the thoughtful responses of our hosts, helped shape the conceptual underpinnings of the Academy’s approach in the months to come.
In 2016, CSaP’s Annual Conference plans to expand on this topic and explore a range of structured approaches to policy problem-solving. More details will follow in the new year.
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Thumbnai image from Nathan Crilly, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge
Banner image by Tinou Bao from Flickr
