Policy makers For policy makers, the Maker movement can be a crucial tool to both change their own organizational structure and realise or restructure certain policies. In order to use these potentials for change, policy makers have to adapt their style of politics actively and e.g. open themselves for other actors from civil society, economy and science. Regarding new policies, three policy changes are central: 1.
On an individual level it will become possible to impart the making approach socially and culturally. By this, the skills and abilities of individuals can be improved. As a consequence, new jobs will emerge and local communities will become stronger. 2. On the macro-economic level, a transformation of the industrial sector could be achieved, by which individual production would replace mass production and strengthen the competitiveness of the European industry. 3. As a third policy, the compatibility of production and consumption with environmental sustainability can be secured. Regarding their own structures and processes, policy makers will be able to adopt the distinct organizational culture of the Maker movement, which e.g. helps them to reduce the used financial and non-financial resources. They can also use technical tools like 3D printers or laser cutters to produce the equipment they need on their own. Additionally, the ICT skills as well as the problem solving skills of employees could be improved under influence of the Maker movement. These processes of adaptation also support the Maker movement, as their culture and the culture of policy converge.The other way around, policy makers can also help the Maker movement to develop further and support them. For this, they have to find a good balance between structure policies and agency policies in order to support the Maker movement in the best way. Relevant structure policies include e.g. frameworks for measuring progress of maker initiatives, while agency policies e.g. refer to capacity of individuals or groups participating in maker activities. Additionally, it is important to distinguish between a permissive policy, which is important to create good start conditions, and a more active policy, which is important for the further development of the initiative.
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