The turn towards co-creation within the Norwegian welfare state: community work in new clothing?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent years have seen both a proliferation and an evolution of forms of user involvement related to efforts made within or by the welfare state. New forms of user involvement relate to both increased and changed engagement by recipients of the welfare state in terms of services, policies, or research. In this explorative paper, one such form, that of ‘co-creation’, is discussed in the context of the evolving Norwegian welfare state. In this context, we argue that an empowering model of co-creation is disregarded in favour of a pragmatic model in which co-creation can be seen as an instrument of governance. Furthermore, we discuss a ‘turn toward co-creation’ in the context of approaches and ideologies from community work. We discuss whether co-creation represents a novel take on collaboration and the joint efforts among stakeholders, or whether it reads as a rebranding of approaches and concepts already embedded in community work. We argue that the ways in which co-creation is implemented, in the form of a pragmatic approach based on instrumental rationality, may run counter to its original intent and constitutes a turn away from the core values and practices of community work.