Selected publications by our researchers
Books & Book Chapters
Leoni, F. (2025). Public Sector Innovation Labs in data-driven innovation. In Giest, S., Klievink, B., Ingrams, A., & Young, M. M. (2025). Handbook on Governance and Data Science. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 365–378. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035301348.00028
Carraro, M., Leoni, F., McAuliffe, E. C., Maffei, S., & Gollini, A. (2023). La Cucina Collaborativa. Co-progettare la circolarità nel sistema del dono alimentare. Milano: Libraccio ISBN/EAN: 9788885619760.
This book is available in Italian and English.
You can download the e-book from the publisher website (Link) and the pdf version from this link.
Mortati, M., Villari B., Maffei, S., Arquilla, V. (2016). Le politiche per il design e il design per le politiche. Santarcangelo di Romagna (RN): Maggioli Editore, ISBN/EAN: 8891604149 / 9788891604149, (link to publisher website: Link).
Maffei, S., Bianchini, M., Mortati, M. (2015). Design 2020. Le sfide della trasformazione del sistema design Lombardo. Milano: Libraccio ISBN: 9-788897-748045, (available at: Link).
AA.VV. (2014). Design in European Policy, Lancaster, UK: Lancaster University, report online (available at: Link).
Journal Articles
Leoni, F. (2025). Other ways of looking at policy-making: A support for the ’design for policy’ research. Annual Review of Policy Design, 13. https://ojs.unbc.ca/index.php/design/article/view/2070
Leoni, F., Carraro, M., McAuliffe, E. & Maffei, S. (2023). Data-centric public services as potential source of policy knowledge. Can “design for policy” help? Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 17 (3), pp. 399-411. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-06-2022-0088https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/TG-06-2022-0088
Huang, L.T., & Villari, B., (2021). Co-creation in circular cities: A design perspective. DISCERN: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2(1), pp. 69-88
Villari, B., (2020). The empathic (r)evolution. Lessons learned from Covid-19 to design at the community, organization, and governmental levels. Strategic Design Research Journal, 14(1), pp. 187-19
Maffei, S., Leoni, F., & Villari, B. (2020). Data-driven Anticipatory Governance. Emerging scenarios in data for policy practices. In L., Kimbell & L., Vesnic-Alujevic (Eds.) The Future of Government: Exploring Futures through Design and Foresight [Special issue]. Policy Design and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2020.1763896
Conference Proceedings & Presentations
Leoni, F., Maffei, S. & Jammali-Versace, B. (2024, July 24). Investigating Public Sector Innovation Labs as-an-approach toward Data and AI-centric innovations in European National Governments. In Data for Policy CIC, Engin, Z., Kennedy, M., Arcucci, R., Crowcroft, J., & Verhulst, S.6 (2024, July 24). Data for Policy 2024 Book of Abstracts. Data for Policy 2024, Imperial College, London (pp. 73–75) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12805534
Leoni, F., Villa Alvarez, D.P., Bosch Gómez, S., Vaz, F., Garcia, L., & Villaman, N. (2024). Designing for Just and Sustainable Policies in the Space between Institutions and Experimental Government Practices. In Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (Eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.156
McAuliffe, E. (2023). Thinking Outside the Circle: Moving beyond the policy cycle in design for policy. Relating Systems Thinking and Design, RSD12. https://rsdsymposium.org/policy-cycle-in-design/
Leoni, F., & Noera, F. (2023). Design prototyping for public technological solutions as a social learning practice for policymaking. In Ferraris, S., Rognoli, V. & Nimkulrat, N. (Eds.) International Conference 2023 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG). From Abstractness to Concreteness – experiential knowledge and the role of prototypes in design research. https://www.eksig2023.polimi.it/assets/EKSIG-Proceedings.pdf
Leoni, F., & Bazzan, G. (2023). Using QCA as an approach to make sense of micro-level data-centric practices for policy innovation: a walk-through. 6th International Conference on Public Policy. https://www.ippapublicpolicy.org//file/paper/649d55ed4d19a.pdf
Leoni, F. (2020). Design for policy in data for policy practices. Exploring potential convergences for policy innovation. Data for Policy 2020 5th International Conference. Zenodo. https://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3988176
Leoni, F., Maffei, S. & Mortati, M. (2018). Participation in policy making for social innovation: a design perspective. Proceedings of 21st DMI: Academic Design Management Conference Next Wave, 1-2 August 2018, London, UK. pp. 1240–1252. Design Management Institute. ISSN: 2640-4702.
Mortati M., Villari B., Maffei S. (2014). Design Capabilities for value creation, 9th DMI: Academic Design Management Conference proceedings, Boston, MA: Design Management Institute ISBN: 978-0-615-99152-8 (Link)
Maffei, S., Mortati, M., Villari, B. (2013). Making/Design Policies Together, EAD 2013, April 2013, Gothenburg, Sweden. ISBN:978-91-979541-5-0 (Link)
Reports
Arrigoni, O., Rajhi, A., Hamarat, Y., Almeida, R. P., Borg Christensen, J., Cipriani, L., Costa Monteiro, R., Gaižauskienė, D., Jacobsen, P., Leoni, F., Nižić, M., & Urbis, V. (2025). Local participatory research on water in Member States : water resilience experiment. Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/4601120
Leoni, F., Cipriani, L. & Maffei, S. (2024). Facing drought through collaboration in Milan: a lesson learnt and action points for designing climate resilient water management in European cities. The Design Policy Lab, Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14454393
Mortati M., Villari B. (2016). Design Policy in Action – The model of the Luxembourg Design Action Group, report online (available at: Link).
Maffei S., Arquilla V., Mortati M., Villari B. (2014). Design Policy Issues #4, Lancaster, UK: Lancaster University, report online (available at: Link).
Maffei S., Arquilla V., Mortati M., Villari B. (2013). Design Policy Issues #1, Lancaster, UK: Lancaster University, report online (available at: Link).
Doctoral theses
McAulifee E. (2025). Design in Contest: Understanding the Use and Potential of Design for Policy Entrepreneurship. Doctoral Program in Design, Politecnico di Milano.
Leoni F. (2022). Designing in data-centric policymaking. An exploration of data for policy and policy learning in data ecosystems. Doctoral Program in Design, Politecnico di Milano. Link
MSc. Theses
Lenna C., (2020). EU BR Portal. Service design applied to policy-making for a better fruition of policy processes within the European Commission. Master Thesis in Product Service System Design, Politecnico di Milano. Supervisors: prof. Beatrice Villari, Dr. Alessandro Rancati.