Arantzazulab laboratory model: governance and democracy innovation
Arantzazulab is a democracy and governance innovation laboratory that promotes new forms of collaborative governance between public institutions and civil society, with the ultimate aim of empowering citizens, promoting collaborative governance in public policy and deepening democracy. It is a non-profit and non-partisan foundation and is supported by key institutions in the Basque Country. Institutional political leadership, relationships and support have been important in the creation of our lab, as they are fundamental to influencing innovation in governance. And, of course, the context of the Basque Country’s democratic and participatory culture provides a strong foundation for Arantzazulab’s work.
What are the 3 key principles of our laboratory-model which differentiate it?
1. Collaborative governance model and legitimacy. The lab is supported by 13 key local institutions and stakeholders, public institutions as main promoters, private companies and social stakeholders. This gives the lab the legitimacy to enable and facilitate cutting-edge experimentation that can transform local institutions and public policies. There is also a collaborative rationale in the organisation and in the decision making and management bodies. The lab’s financing and decision making processes are shared. The resources for our budget come from: 70% direct public funding; 20% direct private funding; 10% other sources.
2. Autonomy and agency to influence public policy. Arantzazulab is set up outside public administration in order to avoid public bureaucracy, to increase its capacity for innovation, as well as its autonomy, flexibility and speed in developing its programme (overcoming the rigidity and inertia of public administration procedures), but recognising its capacity to influence public policy (thanks to a close coordination with public institutions and their inclusion in the governance structure). Funders allow for the lab to operate autonomously, Arantzazulab has the freedom to design and implement the strategies and initiatives based on practice and lessons learned. The lab promotes policy design and governance innovation through partnerships with independent non-governmental organisations.
3. Capacity for transformation, Innovation and experimentation in a neutral meeting place. The lab is a neutral meeting point, and when we say neutral we mean that it is a place where different opinions, perspectives and political cultures meet. Arantzazulab creates and facilitates a space for open and brave experimentation. It seeks to develop new ways of thinking and doing to promote collaborative governance and democracy innovation. It seeks out advanced approaches internationally to adapt them and test them in the Basque region, as well as co-designing and co-developing innovative approaches locally.
What kind of activity do we develop? We do research, experimentation and learning/sharing:
- We are a hub, a meeting point, and a catalyst of different innovation ecosystems or networks of actors: we do collaborative research with universities on democracy and collaborative. governance; we promote a co-creation ecosystem, with local social innovation practitioners to reimagine impactful collaboration; we host a network of stakeholders working on governance innovation; …
- We promote deliberative democracy – we have conducted 2 citizens assemblies and we are currently designing the first permanent climate assembly in our country with the Basque Governnment. We seek to systematize this democratic innovation approach in our institutions.
- We introduce new approaches and tools to rethink democratic infrastructures, public innovation and collective decision-making: mission-oriented innovation, developmental evaluation, collective imagination, co-creation, advanced experimentation on finance/regulation.
- We seek to introduce new mechanisms to activate citizens and the society in the development of the 2030 Agenda.
- Learning and sharing – we generate and share new knowledge, create tools and build capacity for governments and civil society.
