HUMAN-CENTERED POLICY DESIGN: REDEFINING PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING IN THE DIGITAL AGE

This study explores the rise of government innovation labs and delivery units as new institutional architectures reshaping public policy design. Drawing on agile methodologies and human-centered design, these entities represent a cultural and political shift in how states address complex challenges. Using a literature review and case studies—including Argentina’s LabGobAR and a mapping of international labs—this research analyzes how these spaces balance experimentation and execution within bureaucratic systems. The study highlights tensions between agility and accountability, and the importance of organizational culture in shaping innovation outcomes. Preliminary findings suggest three typologies of “organizational change episodes,” revealing how innovation labs may either foster hybrid governance models or remain symbolic. By framing public innovation as a situated and contested practice, the work contributes to a more nuanced understanding of state transformation and offers insights for designing context-sensitive, effective innovation strategies in the public sector.