Enhancing policy capacity through Co-design: the case of local public transportation in the Philippines

Abstract This paper explores how co-design can support the analytical, operational, and political policy capacities of government bodies. It specifically covers the policy capacities for public transport of local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines which was then mainly undertaken by the national government. The study area is Pasig City which has its own Pasig Bus Service (PBS) operated by its City Transportation Development and Management Office (CTDMO). To assess and improve the PBS, a design thinking workshop was held with CTDMO and commuter representatives in creating an information exchange platform. Discussions from the workshop were subjected to thematic analysis and coding to determine the kind and frequency of policy capacities expressed. Challenges in conducting the workshop were also identified along with recommendations to ensure the effectiveness of co-design in improving policy capacities of participants and the agency involved.