# Towards socially robust policy modelling: scoping review of public involvement in computational policy modelling

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how public involvement can improve the social robustness of computational policy models, highlighting challenges and recommendations for inclusive and ongoing engagement.

## Contribution

The paper provides a scoping review of public involvement in computational policy modelling, identifying gaps and offering practical recommendations for inclusive practices.

## Key findings

- Professional stakeholders are more commonly involved than lay publics in computational policy modelling.
- Public involvement methods range from informal feedback to highly structured input.
- The paper recommends ongoing dialogic involvement and attention to power dynamics for more inclusive practices.

## Abstract

Computational policy modelling appeals to policymakers seeking to understand potential outcomes of policy decisions, yet there are long-standing concerns about the “social robustness” of the knowledge it generates. A key route to socially robust policy modelling is the active involvement of publics as partners, and not only subjects, of modelling; yet the technical and abstracted nature of the modelling process poses particular challenges for conventional involvement practice. This scoping review of published computational modelling papers which report public involvement explores both practical elements of involvement in modelling and the tacit or explicit justifications authors offer for involving publics. We found a preponderance of professional stakeholders over “lay” publics and a bifurcation between informal feedback and highly structured input. We conclude that approaches to public involvement in computational policy modelling should seek ongoing dialogic involvement across the stages of the modelling process, be more attentive to power dynamics in the involvement process, and consider how involvement can be inclusive of diverse publics.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12961-026-01473-6.