Engaging the youth through public-sector innovation labs: Insights from Innovation Lab cases in Thailand and the Philippines

Authors

  • Antonio D. Salazar Jr. University of the Philippines Tacloban College; School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University
  • Noe John Joseph E. Sacramento University of the Philippines Cebu; School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Keywords:

Philippines, Public Sector Innovation Labs, Public Policy, Thailand, Youth participation

Abstract

This paper investigates youth participation in public sector innovation labs PSI Labs in Thailand and the Philippines specifically analyzing two cases—the Chiang Mai City Lab in Thailand and the Youth Social Innovation Lab (YSIL) in the Philippines. Public policy literature on PILs considers public innovation labs as a space and medium for co-design, co-learning, and co-implementation of policies. In Southeast Asia, PSI Labs have become a unique strategy in addressing social problems. Some of these PSI labs were designed to promote youth participation—digital natives who have the energy and the stakes to address concerns in the public sector. However, understanding how these spaces enable youth participation in engaging the public sector is limited. To address this gap in literature, this paper explored how the youth are engaged and empowered to participate in addressing public problems. Drawing from existing literature on youth involvement in policy processes, we scrutinized the Chiang Mai City Lab and YSIL, exploring how these innovation labs foster and leverage youth participation. Using lesson drawing as an analytical lens, we examined policy documents, program designs, and relevant secondary literature. Our findings reveal a diverse range of strategies employed to engage youth and integrate their perspectives in addressing public problems. The study also highlighted how digitalization played a crucial role in furthering youth participation. Overall, this research provides nuanced insights into the dynamics of public sector innovation labs, emphasizing their transformative potential as platforms for youth-driven policy development.

Author Biographies

Antonio D. Salazar Jr., University of the Philippines Tacloban College; School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Antonio D. Salazar Jr. is a political science faculty member of the Division of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Tacloban College. He is also an MA in Public Policy student of the School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, under the CMU Presidential Scholarship. His research interest is the dynamics of and interconnections of public policy, Asia as method, posthuman theory, and climate justice. 

Noe John Joseph E. Sacramento, University of the Philippines Cebu; School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Noe John Joseph E. Sacramento is an assistant professor in political science at the College of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Cebu. He is also a Ph.D. in Public Policy candidate at the School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, under the CMU Presidential Scholarship. His research interest is critical policy studies and policy analysis involving informal deliberations, narratives, and emotions. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed and indexed international journals like the Journal of Asian Public Policy, Public Administration and Policy, and Thammasat Review

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Published

2024-02-27

How to Cite

Salazar, A. J., & Sacramento, N. J. J. (2024). Engaging the youth through public-sector innovation labs: Insights from Innovation Lab cases in Thailand and the Philippines. NIDA Case Research Journal, 14(1), 1–28. Retrieved from https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/NCRJ/article/view/268941

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2022): NIDA CASE RESEARCH JOURNAL

Section

Case Study

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