In recent years, ‘policy toolkits’ (often called ‘playbooks’, ‘guides’, ‘resource libraries’ or similar) have become increasingly widespread in policy communities. In the context of policy approaches such as mission-oriented innovation, toolkits and many tools can be a means of bridging the gap between theory and practice by providing practitioners with tangible resources to support them in their work.

As part of this work, the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) engaged with practitioners in its Mission-Oriented Innovation Network (MOIN) to discuss cases of mission-oriented policy tools and toolkits developed in the field – and current and future needs for tool development.

The first section of this report looks at some key patterns, features and typologies of toolkits produced among and for policy communities.

The second section focuses on the development and application of toolkits specifically designed to support mission-oriented policies, and explore some key examples from the field.

The third section shares insights on the operational contexts, current practices and future needs of practitioners using tools and resources, in various forms, to support the design and implementation of mission-oriented approaches on the ground.

Finally, the fourth section concludes with some reflections on what this analysis can teach us about the development of such resources in the context of contemporary mission-oriented policy practice.