This Research Brief was written as part of ANZSOG’s The Bridge research translation project and summarises a piece of academic research relevant to the public sector.
Collaborative innovation can reduce inequalities in policy design by integrating diverse forms of knowledge and experience. Yet, vulnerable citizens are frequently excluded from collaborative innovation processes as they face multiple barriers to their equal participation. An article in the International Journal of Public Administration develops ten practice-informed guidelines to enhance the participation of vulnerable citizens. The guidelines support collaborative innovation to reach its full potential and strengthen the fairness, justness and effectiveness of policy design.
About collaborative innovation
Collaborative innovation is where two or more diverse actors (public officials, professionals, and citizens) with relevant knowledge, experience and ideas collaborate to design a novel solution to complex societal problems. The core principle is that understanding needs is enhanced through dialogue between relevant and affected actors. The involvement of vulnerable citizens is essential as their lived experiences provide crucial insights for the innovations that affect them.
Collaborative innovation consists of four stages:
Initiation: identifying the social problem and gathering the relevant actors
Design: the actors explore the problem, define the affected group’s needs, and generate and test solutions
Implementation
Evaluation
Understanding vulnerability
The article defines vulnerability as facing significant barriers to full societal participation arising from interactions between:
Individual characteristics (e.g., low socioeconomic status, limited cognitive capacity, or low literacy) and
External conditions (e.g., inadequate access to education, healthcare, and housing; systematic discrimination; and economic instability).
These often place people in disadvantaged positions, limiting their ability to participate in policy, service or knowledge co-creation. Case studies show that when these barriers are overcome and vulnerable people’s voices are included, effectiveness and fairness in policies, programs, and services can be improved.
About the research
The research involved a systematic literature review of 186 articles from the UK, US, and Australia, Netherlands, Denmark, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. It identified ten principles that support the participation of vulnerable people across the initiation and design stages of collaborative innovation.
The ten principles
Initiation stage
Use gatekeepers such as community leaders to identify and recruit the appropriate participants. Due to their excluded participation in society and potential lack of unfamiliarity with participatory processes, vulnerable citizens can be challenging to contact. Using gatekeepers also recognises their role in their communities.
Reduce initial knowledge and skill inequalities. While participants in collaborative innovation may have relevant knowledge, the research found it was necessary to train vulnerable citizens and professionals alike to collaborate effectively.
Secure the necessary resources to carry out collaborative innovation, including funding, and organisational support. The issue of funding recognises that vulnerable citizens are “experts by experience,” and they should be compensated for their time and expertise.
Ensure institutional support. Collaborative innovation requires long-term commitment from the parties involved. This is necessary to build trust, design solutions and implement them.
Design stage
Convene in a safe space. Creating physical and psychological safety when collaborating with vulnerable people is essential. Using familiar, safe locations reduces power differences and allows vulnerable participants to feel more on an equal footing.
Give vulnerable citizens a directing role in the design stage. This increases trust and safety, while decreasing the power distance between vulnerable participants and other participants.
Tailor the activities to reflect the range of skills within the group and align design activities with the capabilities and interests of vulnerable citizens Gatekeepers could also be consulted when choosing the activities, as they are likely to have insight into the skills of the vulnerable participants.
Have support available during and after the sessions. Often, vulnerable citizens are asked to draw from negative life experiences, and this can be emotionally draining. Being active in offering support normalises the use of this support, increasing the likelihood that people use the services.
Use a facilitator as this makes the design process more effective. It is the facilitator’s responsibility to check all participants’ understanding throughout the session and ensure all voices are heard.
Use respectful language in communication. Language needs to be chosen carefully to avoid exclusion, discomfort and confusion. This involves using respectful terminology to describe the group of vulnerable citizens and their experiences, as well as avoiding jargon.
The bottom line
The research shows how that effectively engaging vulnerable citizens in collaboration requires persistent and consistent effort. Practitioners who aim to engage vulnerable citizens must secure financial resources and minimise existing power differences by reducing knowledge gaps through training. They need to find suitable locations, tailor the design activities, use a facilitator, and carefully choose the language used. Engaging vulnerable citizens is not an activity to be undertaken lightly. It means actively considering the abilities and needs of vulnerable citizens throughout the collaborative process.
Want to read more?
The ten commandments of engaging vulnerable citizens in collaborative innovation: A systematic review - Leone Verweij Agnieszka Kanas and Menno Fenge, International Journal of Public Administration, January 2026