There is often misalignment of national and local strategies where there is a need to make sure that one does not obscure the other. Therefore, inclusive innovation should have clear aims that are focused at the city level considering the power, capacity, and responsibilities of local government.
Having clear aims will allow policymakers to think about how much of the inclusive innovation is actually new and, whether the new policy on ‘inclusive innovation’ would actually change anything or if the policy agenda includes the term as a convenient label for national level initiatives that would have happened anyway but under a different policy name. This is also important when initiating policies at the regional level that differs from those policies that are made at the national level so that regional level initiatives does not disappear within national level agenda affecting the regional ecosystem.
- the main objective of inclusive innovation policy should be clearly stated to differentiate it from other policies already available as this will help with monitoring and evaluating the policy that links both inclusion and innovation.
- Have a clear purpose statement outlining the aims and goals to achieve. (mention S-specific M- measurable A- achievable R- relevant T- timebound goals)
- Compare the policy with similar policies in the same or different regions to identify best practices and potential barriers by researching.
- Engage with stakeholders like community members, industry experts and local business leaders to gather insights into their needs and concerns via consultation.
- Conduct equity impact assessments (EIA)
- Use clear and simple language to ensure that the policy is easily understood by different stakeholders with varying levels of education.
- Establish continuous feedback channels such as public forums, surveys, and dedicated online feedback portals throughout the policy development process. This would enhance the transparency in how decisions are made and help understand how view of underrepresented groups have been incorporated.
- A comprehensive policy document outlining the aims, objectives and rationale behind the policy with inclusion of roles and responsibilities and implementation plan of the policy should be created. This should be communicated with relevant parties using community meetings, local news outlets and city’s official website. Use inclusive and non-discriminatory language in all policy documents and communications.
- Training sessions should be offered to city employees and stakeholders to ensure that everyone understands the policy and their role in its implementation.
- To monitor the policy outcomes, it is important to establish quantifiable key performance indicators to measure the success of the policy with metrics relevant to city-level outcomes in order to understand if the policy has achieved its intended purpose and continuously review the policy in regular intervals to assess its effectiveness and make changes accordingly.