Public Policy Lab

Real systems change doesn’t happen overnight; it requires intentional design. In the latest essay of our PPL15 series, PPL research director Judy Park Lee reflects on one of her first service design projects with PPL: helping hundreds of NYC community schools connect families to public benefits. The work taught her that designing public services at scale requires showing up where people are, activating what’s already there, offering adaptable recipes, and engaging multiple layers of government.

PPL 15: No Shortcuts to Scale – Public Policy Lab In our latest PPL15 essay, research director Judy Park Lee reflects on an early fellowship project designing a benefits access program for NYC community schools and what it taught her about scaling public services without losing sight of people. She argues that systems change requires intensely rela...

Join us on March 5 for a virtual conversation between Andrew Eickmann (Public Policy Lab), Emily Osgood (NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development), and Yasmin Fodil (Code for America) on the importance of human connection in public-sector innovation.

Public systems often invest in better data, clearer interfaces, and smarter tools — but tools alone rarely change people’s lives for the better. Drawing on lessons from Public Policy Lab’s latest blog post, Good Tools Aren’t Enough, this event explores what truly enables effective public service delivery: trust, relationships, and the human work that connects residents to systems.

This event is part of PPL15, a series celebrating the Public Policy Lab's 15th anniversary. You can find past blog posts and virtual events on our website.

https://good-tools-arent-enough.eventbrite.com

Good Tools Aren't Enough Join us for a conversation on the importance of human connection in public-sector innovation.