Workshop
The Public Life Lab (PL LAB) in Action
S105, 23 October, 09:01-12:45The Public Life Lab (PL LAB) in Action: A Four-Step Policy Design Sprint on Voter Turnout
Universities produce vast amounts of research that rarely reaches policymakers or the citizens impacted by public decisions. The Public Life Lab (PL LAB) was created to bridge this divide. Established as a social innovation within the Institute of Social Sciences at SWPS University, the lab trains students and doctoral candidates to serve as junior policy analysts who translate academic findings into actionable recommendations for decision-makers. Designed as a structured, repeatable framework rather than a one-off initiative, this institutional model offers a blueprint that can be adapted and replicated by other universities.
This workshop provides participants with hands-on, miniature experience in the analytical process. Working in three teams of five, participants apply the PL LAB’s four-step methodology to a real and counterintuitive finding: data from the Polish National Election Study (PNES) show that life-cycle transitions, rather than generational cohorts, drive voter turnout. Specifically, key life events—such as becoming a parent, getting married, or assuming managerial responsibility—are what prompt citizens to vote.
Working with an identical data card, each team navigates the four key steps of the PL LAB methodology:
- Diagnosing the problem
- Mapping affected stakeholders
- Evaluating existing approaches
- Formulating an initial intervention.
Teams then stress-test their proposed solutions using PL LAB’s Diversity Assessment to ensure the intervention functions equitably across all targeted demographic groups.
Facilitators
