RAPID: Challenge Platforms with a Public Intent Critical Reflections and Future Practices

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Participatory challenge platforms, like challenge.gov, 10,000 solutions at Arizona State University, and the policy challenge at Arizona State University, are examples of an emerging approach that can increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and legitimacy of the public policy development and implementation process in an increasingly complex, interconnected, and resource-constrained governance environment. It seeks to give voice to, tap into, empower, and focus the vast array of expertise, experience, and democratic surplus possessed by a diversity of individuals throughout the nation in the governance process to develop innovative and practical solutions to shared public challenges. As such, the workshop supported by this grant is designed to explore the emerging body of participatory challenges platforms with a public intent and develop an community of practice for its research and practical applications and implications in an effort to understand the design tensions and applications of platforms as an efficient, effective, and legitimate governance process. The workshop consists of a series of targeted discussions, panels, roundtables, and keynote speakers to critically reflect on and envision the future of participatory challenge platforms research and applications. The workshop will support the following specific objectives: * Highlight the importance of the research and practice of participatory challenge platforms to governing efficiently, effectively, and legitimately in an increasingly complex, interconnected, and resource-constrained environment. * Identify the obstacles, opportunities, and best practices of designing and implementing participatory challenge platforms to address public problems, grounded in case studies. * Explore design mechanisms to foster sustainable networks of problems solvers from a diversity of backgrounds around shared interests and public problems. * Develop a vision for the future of and identify the next steps for the research and practice of participatory challenge platforms in facilitating efficient, effective, and legitimate governance processes and outcomes. * Bring together practitioners, researchers, and participants from academics, private industry, and governmental organizations. These types of approaches will become more ubiquitous because of the broad prize authority Congress granted to all federal agencies on December 21, 2010.