Political design: methodological problems

Design is considered as a mental construction of a political object, based on scientific knowledge of its structure, properties and ways of interrelating its elements, and mechanisms of its reproduction. Political institutions, political organizations, and political processes can be objects of political design. Such objects are intersubjective by nature, i.e., they exist only in the actions and interactions of people and only because people develop a shared knowledge of the norms and rules of such actions and interactions. Design of such objects should be based not only on knowledge of the structure of the object itself, but also on the mechanisms that motivate people to reproduce the structural elements of the designed object in their actions. Three design methods are distinguished. The first is object-oriented. The designer takes an external position in relation to the object, like, for example, a building designer, and designs it entirely, based on scientific knowledge of its structure, properties, and mechanisms of operation. This design method is possible only where a new object is supposed to be created. The second - problem-oriented - is used where the task arises of searching for more perfect forms of development of existing institutions and organizations, their adaptation to new realities. In this case, the design is preceded by the stage of identifying problems that create difficulties in the functioning and development of a political object, and the purpose of the design is to construct a normative order that prevents the emergence of destructive phenomena. The third is subject-oriented. It is based on the understanding that a change in the normative order is possible not only “from above” but also “from below”, when new rules are created by citizens interacting to solve certain problems. In subject-oriented design, the design of a new object is carried out in the course of interaction that ensures the achievement of consensus regarding the normative order constituting a political neoplasm. It is concluded that design in politics is more sporadic than systemic, and is based on an intuitive vision of ways to achieve political goals rather than a scientifically based methodology for constructing a political innovation. The difficulties of developing a methodology for political design are primarily related to the difficulties of defining the subject field of design. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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