Rescuing Policy: a public policy forum seminar

Policy-making is in trouble. In the fast-moving, highly interdependent world of today, it often lacks legitimacy and results in overly simplistic solutions to complex issues. The traditional policy process was designed for a different world and it is time for a change. On May 15, 2012, Dr. Don Lenihan, Vice President, Engagement at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa, Canada ran a workshop on “Rescuing Policy: a public policy forum seminar”, hosted by the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute at the Arboretum, University of Guelph. 

Don Lenihan is an internationally recognized expert on democracy and public engagement, accountability and service delivery. Collaboration and public engagement have been central themes in his work over the years.

In his workshop, Don Lenihan focused on 4 questions:

• What's wrong with the policy process?
• What is public engagement?
• How do public engagement processes work?
• How can we begin using them to change policy development, communications, and service delivery?

There were 58 participants in total, including faculty, staff, and students.

For more information on the event, see the Rescuing Policy website.