Local community-led democratic infrastructuring

Northern Ireland’s infamous ‘contested’ society suffers from a structural problem – it’s Government is often absent. How can change happen in such a problematic setting? Even when Government sits, traditional policymaking often fails to address the right problems because it does not engage with issues from the experiential viewpoints of everyday people. Design for Policy (DfP) has the potential to address complex policy problems, highlighting how design can transform policymaking by reframing practices, models, and expertise. Recently, DfP has taken a turn by investigating policymaking ‘from below’ (Vaz et all, 2022); how design could catalyse communities’ involvement in policymaking. Collective action has potential for effective policy impact in global challenges. This abstract focuses on the practice piece of my PhD: initiating a space for agonistic policy dialogue. Kaufman's (1967) assertion that policy is both rhetorical and actionable underscores the practical aspect of this research. Dorst (2011) frames design research as the parallel creation of an object and its method of operation, reinforcing the need for a holistic view of design in policymaking. This study adopts Research through Design (RtD), foregrounding design activity as central to its method and outcomes. Dixon (2023) notes that RtD projects often engage with real world contexts and aim to effect positive transformations. The study is a combination of Ethnography and Participatory Action Research. Alongside the community, it will establish a space for agonistic dialogue amongst the residents of Rathlin Island; convening a Democratic Mini Public, to prototype ‘deeper’ community-led democratic processes aiming for broader application locally – then globally. It explores a gap in the literature, whereby we foreground design methods in the deliberative facilitation to see what happens in this setting. Using these approaches, this research aims to foster innovative, inclusive, and effective policy development practice that can build local responses to our global challenges.