Best Practice in Politics
We curate exemplary political work that successfully tackles today’s most pressing issues. This platform is a hub of tried and tested best practices in politics.
“Casettiamo, insieme possiamo!” – Changing the city together
A beautiful municipality with a decaying economy and population sees a revival of community life by involving citizens in all aspects of re-designing the city.
+Ricicli +Viaggi – the more you recycle the more you travel
A novel approach to recycling sees plastic bottles exchanged for discounts on public transport tickets in Italy.
Administrative Exchange – Baratto Amministrativo
As an alternative to paying directly to the Municipality, taxpayers can voluntarily settle unpaid fees by working for the community.
Adopt a Grandad
This project in Milan represents ‘a meal across generations’ as senior citizens share their lunchtime with schoolchildren, increasing social cohesion.
Child-Friendly Shopkeepers
A network of solidarity, in the form of a network of friendly shopkeepers, allows children to be more autonomous, while bringing back social trust and strengthening community ties.
Circular Economy of Waste for Land & Environment
The HERAmbiente project houses a composting and bio-stabilisation facility which actively recovers non-hazardous waste from the organic fraction of urban waste.
Citizenship Income Granted
A system of mutually beneficial aid is available in Livorno, where families in economic distress are financially supported in exchange for eight hours of municipal work per week.
City of Omegna Masterplan
The City of Omegna is working holistically to improve the town for the community, entrepreneurs, and the public sector.
Civic Crowdfunding
This crowdfunding initiative focuses on making Milan a more inclusive and sustainable city by co-funding citizen-organised projects with municipal funds.
Community Labs
Laboratories in Italy partner with local community organisations in marginalised communities to create projects and initiatives in the neighbourhood that focus on inclusion and social cohesion.
Connected Newsstands
The City of Milan develops an app to enable newsstands to securely provide citizens with certificates issued by the registry office on demand.
Connected Parents
A digital literacy programme improves insight into technology for parents, which allows them understand their children better and engage with them more easily.
Energy Income
The project supports socially vulnerable citizens achieving energy independence, whilst creating a beneficial circle where non-consumed energy is used to finance new photovoltaic systems for further households.
FabriQ – The Social Enterprise Incubator
Startups are supported by networking, experts, and workshops, and encouraged through funding to have a positive social and economic impact on Milan.
Factory of Hope
A programme in Chieuti expands the range of services for people with mental disabilities, and offers a way of inclusion in an olive processing and bottling factory.
Ferla Agorà – Ideas Square
Citizens take part in the democratic process and the governance of their town by meeting on the main square to discuss and vote on current issues.
Formigine 2020
A community of 34,000 people, including city authorities and residents, come together to help the municipality recover and develop – both during and in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
Harraga Boys
A programme in Palermo provides a support system for unaccompanied migrant minors with skills training, work placement, and social housing.
Hello, How Are You?
Volunteers “adopt a grandparent” to help senior citizens battle isolation loneliness, support them in daily tasks, and remind them to take their medicine during lock-down.
Helping Teenagers Imagine their Future
The project enables young people to understand their rights and grow within a democracy, by holding meetings in the Municipal House.
Hotel Village
A bottom-up tourist experience integrates tourist options in Ferla, in a system that lets different parts of the community benefit from renting out housing.
LE TELE DI ARACNE, Sewing Academy
A new sewing academy is launched in a building confiscated from the Mafia, with the aim of giving new skills to young people from marginalised groups.
Lunattiva, virtual currency
An experimental, virtual currency is introduced to improve engagement in projects designed to help tackle social problems in a deprived area of Mantua.
Makeitmodena – Digital Gym
“Cyber-workouts” help children and adults gain digital literacy, realise digital projects, and spread open-source culture.
Milano Plastic Free
Milan eliminates disposable plastic tableware from schools and other facilities, saving 720 tons of waste per year, and involving other smaller and bigger players in the strategy in a step-by-step manner.
On / Off Factory
An initiative in Parma supports entrepreneurship and youth employability through laboratories that explain business planning, innovative learning and tools, and enable the use fo collaborative spaces and services.
PerDopo – Reactivation of the Local Economy
Citizens invest in their favourite services and restaurants with advance payments that are doubled by the municipality, reactivating the local economy in a time of crisis.
Primarie Siciliane del Campo Progressista (Progressive Primaries in Sicily)
The progressive primaries in Sicily facilitated the adoption of online voting among a diverse electorate, making democratic participation more accessible and secure.
Spilamberto and Us: Active Citizens for the Common Good
A Municipality offers several cooperations with citizens, such as gardening and maintaining public spaces, to create a more connected way of living in Spilamberto.
STEMintheCity
A series of events promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, particularly among girls and young women, inspiring the next generation of change-makers.
The Bank of Recycling
A recycling system in Latronico grants citizens reimbursements to spend in local shops.
The School of the Suburbs – Citizens Make the City
A school without classrooms empowers Milanese citizens to participate in city planning and go from designing to realising neighbourhood projects.
Torino City Lab
A series of innovation labs in Turin focus on innovative solutions for problem-solving and improving the quality of life in an urban setting.
Towards Zero Waste – Exact Fee
Lower fees reward waste separation and recycling, which alongside a developing social awareness, leads to more recycling.
United Through Sports and Community Engagement
Pineto United is a grassroots football team that seeks to facilitate interaction between young asylum seekers and Italian youth through sports, helping to create a new sense of community among Pineto’s residents.
“Casettiamo, insieme possiamo!” – Changing the city together
A beautiful municipality with a decaying economy and population sees a revival of community life by involving citizens in all aspects of re-designing the city.
+Ricicli +Viaggi – the more you recycle the more you travel
A novel approach to recycling sees plastic bottles exchanged for discounts on public transport tickets in Italy.
Administrative Exchange – Baratto Amministrativo
As an alternative to paying directly to the Municipality, taxpayers can voluntarily settle unpaid fees by working for the community.
Adopt a Grandad
This project in Milan represents ‘a meal across generations’ as senior citizens share their lunchtime with schoolchildren, increasing social cohesion.
Child-Friendly Shopkeepers
A network of solidarity, in the form of a network of friendly shopkeepers, allows children to be more autonomous, while bringing back social trust and strengthening community ties.
Circular Economy of Waste for Land & Environment
The HERAmbiente project houses a composting and bio-stabilisation facility which actively recovers non-hazardous waste from the organic fraction of urban waste.
Citizenship Income Granted
A system of mutually beneficial aid is available in Livorno, where families in economic distress are financially supported in exchange for eight hours of municipal work per week.
City of Omegna Masterplan
The City of Omegna is working holistically to improve the town for the community, entrepreneurs, and the public sector.
Civic Crowdfunding
This crowdfunding initiative focuses on making Milan a more inclusive and sustainable city by co-funding citizen-organised projects with municipal funds.
Community Labs
Laboratories in Italy partner with local community organisations in marginalised communities to create projects and initiatives in the neighbourhood that focus on inclusion and social cohesion.
Connected Newsstands
The City of Milan develops an app to enable newsstands to securely provide citizens with certificates issued by the registry office on demand.
Connected Parents
A digital literacy programme improves insight into technology for parents, which allows them understand their children better and engage with them more easily.
The Winners
of the Innovation in Politics Awards 2022/2023
Housing and Work for the Homeless
Housing and Work for the Homeless is an integrated intervention for persons and families facing homelessness and housing exclusion which provides housing, services, and financial support to vulnerable groups.
Rexcatering
Rexcatering is a circular, zero-waste project that empowers students to fight food waste by delivering food to those in need with the help of innovative technology.
Sophia Chatbot
Sophia is a digital chatbot that anonymously assists survivors of domestic violence in gathering potential evidence, provides access to resources and support, and continuously evolves to meet the needs of survivors globally.
