Policy Kitchen

 

Policy Kitchen is a policy crowdsourcing methodology developed by foraus – Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy. It enables a diverse network of thinkers to co-create policy recipes to pressing foreign policy challenges. The methodology is built on a crowd innovation platform, physical workshops, and a support process to bring the best recipes to impact.

Policy Kitchen is public and allows for bottom-up participation in the political process. Any person, irrespective of background or location, can participate and contribute ideas. To ensure a high level of expertise, we partner with experts and professionals of various sectors (science, government, international organizations, NPO, business, etc). Collaborations with the Open Think Tank Network and other partners allow us to scale participation internationally.

The code for Policy Kitchen is made available as open source software. We encourage and support other actors in using participative methods in their respective domains. Contact us, we’re happy to help.

Policy Kitchen is supported by Engagement Migros.

 

 

Selected Policy Kitchen challenges

 

• For our first global challenge “Towards an inclusive future in AI” (spring 2019), workshops were held in Bangalore, Berlin, Boston, Geneva, Jaipur, Paris, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seoul and Vienna. Partners include the swissnex Network, the Open Think Tank Network, AI Commons as well as the Berkman Klein Center and Wadhwani AI. More than 90 participants generated 43 ideas. The ideas were first presented at the UN conference AI for Good Global Summit. An advisory board consisting of Jonathan Andrew (Geneva Academy), Amir Banifatemi (XPRIZE, AI Commons), Jessica Cussins Newman (UC Berkeley, Future of Life Institute, The Future Society), Jan Gerlach (Wikimedia), Brandie Nonnecke (CITRIS Policy Lab, UC Berkeley), Malavika Jayaram (Digital Asia Hub & Berkman Klein Center) and Livia Walpen (Swiss Federal Office of Communications) reviewed the ideas. The final paper "Towards an Inclusive Future in AI - A Global Participatory Process" was published in fall 2019 and presented at a multi-stakeholder event in Geneva.
   
• Berlin-based Polis180, a member of the Open Think Tank Network, launched the challenge "EU Digital Policy" in spring 2019 which aimed to give young voters the opportunity to participate actively in shaping and improving the Digital Policy of the European Union. In collaboration with the Austrian Think Tank Ponto, different workshops were held in Berlin, Heidelberg and Vienna. The 10 best demands were then selected, put together and published in this final paper "Für eine gerechtere, zukunftsorientierte Digitalpolitik in Europa". They were further discussed with high-profile panelists at the Polis180 event on 26th September 2019 in Berlin.
   
• The challenge “Towards a Swiss AI Strategy” (winter 2018/19) aimed at generating inputs for the Swiss Federal Working Group on AI. In collaboration with swissnex San Francisco and Microsoft, 3 workshops were held in Switzerland and San Francisco. 68 participants representing youth, industry, policy makers, academia, and civil society generated 38 ideas for the working group. The final paper "Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence - Why Switzerland Should Support a Scientific UN Panel to Assess the Rise of AI" was published in fall 2019 and presented at a multi-stakeholder event in Geneva.
   

• Pilot challenge on Biodiversity in fall 2018: In 7 workshops across Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany, more than 100 participants generated 43 Ideas. 5 ideas were chosen by a jury consisting of Pascale Baeriswyl (State Secretary, FDFA), Kurt Fluri (MP, Liberal Party), Alice Glauser (MP, Swiss People’s Party) and Adèle Thorens (MP, Green Party), Renat Heuberger (CEO Southpole), Thomas Vellacott (CEO WWF Switzerland), Eva Zabey (Director Redefining Value, WBCSD) as well as Florian Egli (Vice President of foraus). The ideas were presented to the Swiss Delegation to the COP-14 on Biodiversity. The final paper "Grassroots ideas to halt biodiversity loss: Addressing an upcoming crisis" was published in fall 2019 and presented at an impact event attended by high-profile panelists in Bern.

• Further challenges led by members of the Open Think Tank Network include Human Rights and Business, Swiss China Policy, EU Cultural Policy, UK Migration Policy and more.

 

Impressions

 

About Policy Kitchen

 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jlow-HpojLo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlow-HpojLo&list=PLkYoI-gSYvIZdzk3lofKx7simplpWtDGA&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlow-HpojLo&list=PLkYoI-gSYvIZdzk3lofKx7simplpWtDGA&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlow-HpojLo&list=PLkYoI-gSYvIZdzk3lofKx7simplpWtDGA&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlow-HpojLo&list=PLkYoI-gSYvIZdzk3lofKx7simplpWtDGA&index=4

Video message from Policy Kitchen workshop on AI in Zurich to San Francisco

 

Interviews at the Policy Kitchen workshop in São Paulo, Brazil

 

Interview of Jonas Nakonz, Project Manager of Policy Kitchen, by CNNMoney Switzerland

 

Idea upload at the Winter School for Think Tankers in Geneva, Switzerland

 

Issue mapping at swissnex São Paulo, Brazil

 

Idea upload with Bosch Alumni Network and Polis180, Berlin, Germany

 

Defining challenges at swissnex Bangalore, India

 

Idea pitch with Bosch Alumni Network and Polis180, Berlin, Germany

 

Idea pitch with Ponto at the Swiss Embassy in Vienna, Austria

 

Informal conversations with Uli Sigg (former Ambassador) in Zurich, Switzerland

 

Expert input by Amandeep Gill (former Executive Director of the UNSG High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation), discussing the two published papers on AI in Geneva

 

Experts discuss the published paper on biodiversity and discuss the ideas with the authors

 

Policy Kitchen is supported by: