Co-production Process Research Articles

Four Methodological Guidelines to Evaluate the Research Impact of Co-produced Climate Services

As climate change impacts unfold across the globe, growing attention is paid toward producing climate services that support adaptation decision-making. Academia, funding agencies, and decision-makers generally agree that stakeholder engagement in co-producing knowledge is key to ensure effective decision support. However, co-production processes remain challenging to evaluate, given their many intangible effects, long time horizons, and inherent complexity. Moreover, how such evaluation should look like is understudied. In this paper, we therefore propose four methodological guidelines designed to evaluate co-produced climate services: (i) engaging in adaptive learning by applying developmental evaluation practices, (ii) building and refining a theory of change, (iii) involving stakeholders using participatory evaluation methods, and (iv) combining different data collection methods that incorporate visual products. These methodological guidelines offset previously identified evaluation challenges and shortcomings, and can be used to help stakeholders rethink research impact evaluation through their complementary properties to identify complex change pathways, external factors, intangible effects, and unexpected outcomes.

The Development of Videoconference-Based Support for People Living With Rare Dementias and Their Carers: Protocol for a 3-Phase Support Group Evaluation.

BackgroundPeople living with rarer dementias face considerable difficulty accessing tailored information, advice, and peer and professional support. Web-based meeting platforms offer a critical opportunity to connect with others through shared lived experiences, even if they are geographically dispersed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.ObjectiveWe aim to develop facilitated videoconferencing support groups (VSGs) tailored to people living with or caring for someone with familial or sporadic frontotemporal dementia or young-onset Alzheimer disease, primary progressive aphasia, posterior cortical atrophy, or Lewy body dementia. This paper describes the development, coproduction, field testing, and evaluation plan for these groups.MethodsWe describe a 3-phase approach to development. First, information and knowledge were gathered as part of a coproduction process with members of the Rare Dementia Support service. This information, together with literature searches and consultation with experts by experience, clinicians, and academics, shaped the design of the VSGs and session themes. Second, field testing involved 154 Rare Dementia Support members (people living with dementia and carers) participating in 2 rounds of facilitated sessions across 7 themes (health and social care professionals, advance care planning, independence and identity, grief and loss, empowering your identity, couples, and hope and dementia). Third, a detailed evaluation plan for future rounds of VSGs was developed.ResultsThe development of the small groups program yielded content and structure for 9 themed VSGs (the 7 piloted themes plus a later stages program and creativity club for implementation in rounds 3 and beyond) to be delivered over 4 to 8 sessions. The evaluation plan incorporated a range of quantitative (attendance, demographics, and geography; pre-post well-being ratings and surveys; psycholinguistic analysis of conversation; facial emotion recognition; facilitator ratings; and economic analysis of program delivery) and qualitative (content and thematic analysis) approaches. Pilot data from round 2 groups on the pre-post 3-word surveys indicated an increase in the emotional valence of words selected after the sessions.ConclusionsThe involvement of people with lived experience of a rare dementia was critical to the design, development, and delivery of the small virtual support group program, and evaluation of this program will yield convergent data about the impact of tailored support delivered to geographically dispersed communities. This is the first study to design and plan an evaluation of VSGs specifically for people affected by rare dementias, including both people living with a rare dementia and their carers, and the outcome of the evaluation will be hugely beneficial in shaping specific and targeted support, which is often lacking in this population.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/35376

Impact of self‐service technology in designing a service delivery system

AbstractSelf‐service technologies (SSTs) have been widely adopted in industries that require the delivery of physical products by services, in which consumers evaluate a product for both the product value and the service value. A typical service delivery system usually involves sales agents and/or self‐service technologies, for example, online services and kiosks, to serve consumers by a coproduction process. In other words, both the sales agent (or self‐service machine) and the consumer should exert effort, with corresponding service costs. By modeling the coproduction output with a Cobb–Douglas production function, we establish a principal–agent model to study the value of self‐service technologies in designing a service delivery system wherein the sales agent's service cost is private information. We first characterize the main trade‐off between the sales agent and the self‐service machine when the firm provides only one service channel. Then, we analyze the value of the self‐service machine when the firm can provide both service channels. We find that, interestingly, the firm may possibly provide both service channels, that is, services offered by the sales agent and the self‐service machine, when the level of information uncertainty is high, and the self‐service machine's service cost is intermediate. Moreover, when both service channels are offered, only the efficient sales agent will be contracted, and the inefficient sales agents are screened out of the market by the self‐service machine; that is, the self‐service machine can help the firm eliminate the information rent. We also investigate how the firm's service weight in the coproduction process and information uncertainty influence the consumer surplus, firm's choices, contract parameters, and resulting profits. Our results are shown to be robust when our model is extended to consider a single‐contract strategy, contracting on effort, a continuous sales agent type, and a general coproduction function.

Addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights with men in prisons: co-production and feasibility testing of a relationship, sexuality and future fatherhood education programme

PurposeYoung incarcerated male offenders are at risk of poorer sexual health, adolescent parenthood and lack opportunities for formative relationship and sexuality education (RSE) as well as positive male role models. The purpose of this paper is to report the process of co-production and feasibility testing of a novel, gender-transformative RSE programme with young male offenders to encourage positive healthy relationships, gender equality, and future positive fatherhood.Design/methodology/approachUsing a rights-based participatory approach, the authors co-produced an RSE programme with young offenders and service providers at two UK prison sites using a sequential research design of: needs analysis, co-production and a feasibility pilot. Core components of the programme are grounded in evidence-based RSE, gender-transformative and behaviour change theory.FindingsA needs analysis highlighted the men’s interest in RSE along with the appeal of film drama and peer-group-based activities. In the co-production stage, scripts were developed with the young men to generate tailored film dramas and associated activities. This co-production led to “If I Were a Dad”, an eight-week programme comprising short films and activities addressing masculinities, relationships, sexual health and future fatherhood. A feasibility pilot of the programme demonstrated acceptability and feasibility of delivery in two prison sites. The programme warrants further implementation and evaluation studies.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is the generation of an evidence-based, user-informed, gender-transformative programme designed to promote SRHR of young male offenders to foster positive sexual and reproductive health and well-being in their own lives and that of their partners and (future) children.

Experimental co-production of knowledge to adapt to environmental change in northern India

Poor farmers are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors and often rely on traditional knowledge and grassroots creativity to help them to adapt. Such adaptation can be enhanced using other knowledge sources, but this requires greater understanding of the processes of knowledge co-production among scientists, local communities and state actors. In this study we undertook knowledge co-production on an experimental basis with two contrasting communities: smallholder farmers in Jind (Haryana) and Adi women in East Siang district (Arunachal Pradesh). We found that the Jind farmers displayed grassroots creativity in coping with salinity induced stresses to rice-wheat cropping systems, while Adi women applied their traditional knowledge of food based on namdung (Perilla ocymoides, a local plant species) to cope with climate variability that affected fermentation. Jind farmers perceived the process of knowledge co-production as moderately credible and salient, but the legitimacy of the exercise was compromised by the relatively low level of participation by state actors. The farmers rated the practical outcomes of the co-produced zero-till wheat as low to moderate for combating salinity-induce risks but as high for a community rice nursery. The knowledge co-production process was considered more credible and salient among younger Adi women than older women, and the utility of the Adi women’s co-produced adaptive practices were rated as moderate to high for reducing the impacts of climate variability on namdung based foods. In both cases, an emergent property of the knowledge co-production exercise was creation of a knowledge network that has the potential to lead to ongoing enhanced adaptation to environmental change. Insights from the study could help improve knowledge co-production in similar social-ecological systems, and can be integrated with environmental change policies.

Co-producing Desistance Opportunities with Women in Prison: Reflections of a Sports Coach Developer

The following paper provides a sport coach developer’s reflective narrative account of his first experience of delivering a football-based development programme within a women’s prison. The account highlights the notion that initial ‘up-front’ desistance work can be a process of co-production where all those involved engage in a journey of discovery in which the seeds of desistance are planted and begin to take root. The interplay between practitioners and service users involved navigating issues including vulnerability, trust and the impact of environmental factors, and highlights the idea that initial desistance efforts result from co-produced efforts between the person initiating change and those tasked with supporting this process. The paper calls for greater attention to the lived experience of facilitating early desistance transitions, as this will result in furthering our understanding of desistance processes.

Co-production of 1,4-pentanediol and adipic acid from corn stover with biomass-derived co-solvent: Process synthesis and analysis

As environmental issues caused by the use of fossil-derived chemicals arise, efforts to replace fossil-based feedstocks with renewable and environment-friendly resources to mitigate the environmental impact of chemical production have been continuously made. In this study, an integrated process utilizing separation and catalytic conversion was designed to co-produce adipic acid (ADA), a precursor used to produce nylon 6.6, and 1,4-pentanediol (1,4-PDO), a monomer for biodegradable polymer, from corn stover as a renewable resource. Cellulose and hemicellulose are simultaneously converted into gamma-valerolactone (GVL), and the GVL is further split and converted into ADA and 1,4-PDO. The energy consumption for the process is significantly reduced by designing and incorporating a heat exchanger network. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment were performed to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of the three representative cases having different GVL split ratios for ADA and 1,4-PDO production. The results indicate that the case producing the most ADA leads to an optimal minimum selling price of $1382/ton ADA under the proposed assumptions and has a marginal impact on the environment compared to the fossil-based ADA production. Uncertainty analysis showed that this co-production process has economic stability against variable market conditions. These results suggest directions to improve the economic and environmental feasibility of the proposed process.

The Big Five personality traits and co-production behaviour of Vietnamese tourists: An extension of the theory of planned behaviour

In the framework of Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the study is conducted to evaluate the association between The Big Five personality traits and the three types of tourists’ co-production behaviour: co-production behaviour before the trip, co-production behaviour during the trip, and co-production behaviour after the trip. The mediating type of co-production attitude is also clarified in this TPB model. The online and in-person survey methodologies have been used from January to May 2021. The study’s survey subjects are Vietnamese tourists who live and work in Vietnam and have travelled within the last two years. The research results reveal that all three personalities: Extraversion, Openness, and Agreeableness, positively affect the three categories of co-production behaviours, whereas Consciousness and Neuroticism only influence production behaviour during the trip. Two types of mediation: complementary and indirect- only effect of co-production attitude, is clarified. This study contributes to broader TPB theory by analyzing Big Five personality traits in tourist co-production behaviour. Our findings assist tourism businesses in better understanding how visitors’ personalities impact their co-production and assist them in building effective co-production methods. Tourism practitioners should develop different approaches for groups of customers with distinguished characteristics in each stage of their co-production processes.

Getting personal with collaborative sustainability experimentation: Reflections and recommendations from a transdisciplinary partnership with the Swedish craft beer sector

This paper provides reflections on transdisciplinary knowledge coproduction and experimentation processes from sustainability researcher perspectives. It centers on a 5-year period of collaborative research with small- and medium-sized enterprises in an Urban Living Lab in the Swedish craft beer sector. Nine reflections cover a variety of issues and potentials encountered during numerous interactions with societal partners, and are structured by three levels: organizational, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Based on the reflections, authors then propose a set of seven considerations and recommendations for how to more effectively collaborate in such transdisciplinary constellations. The recommendations apply across the three levels, and describe an approach to collaborative research that asks the researcher to be open, transparent, self-aware and intentional, reflective and reflexive, and both adaptive and flexible. Furthermore, they aim to create soft structures to facilitate understanding and mutual learning, such as designating “organizational champions”, as well as to embed collaborative reflections into recurring meetings with partners to maintain trust and capture sustainability knock-on opportunities as they arise.

Sustainable Value Co-Production and Co-Creation in Virtual Reality: An Exploratory Research on Business-to-Business Interactions

The objective of this study is to identify the environment for business interactions in virtual reality in the value co-production and co-creation process and to understand how such an environment enables the sustainable development of co-creational activities. This paper takes the concepts of value co-production and co-creation and presence and the Actors, Resources, and Activities Model as conceptual references for the exploration of interactions in virtual reality. Using ten in-depth interviews with senior managers, this paper takes an exploratory case analysis perspective. Results show how the sense of presence—level of immersion to which a medium that produces seemingly accurate representations of objects, events, and people, can submerge the perceptual system of a user—is the primary technical resource enabling the performance of value co-production and co-creational activities inside VR simulations. Additionally, the VR consultants and the hiring firms become the actors, organizing the value-co-production and co-creation practices; those customers and employees are the actors performing five co-creational activities that can result in valuable outcomes for the VR consultants and the hiring firms. Virtual reality is one of the newest vehicles used for the co-production and co-creation of value, for innovating existing products, for sustainable creation of new marketing offerings, or for managing network relations. This study contributes to existent literature by showing the process and practice of value co-production and value co-creation taking place in virtual reality simulations in B2B settings.

A Case Study of Co-production Within a Mental Health Recovery College Dementia Course: Perspectives of A Person With Dementia, Their Family Supporter and Mental Health Staff

BackgroundUndertaking co-production as a power-sharing way to improve mental health dementia services remains uncommon, suggesting opportunities to apply knowledge from lived experience of people with dementia, may often be missed. One barrier is stigma, assuming people with progressive cognitive impairment cannot manage this level of participation, support peers nor offer a “valid” perspective.PurposeThis paper shares knowledge gained from a service evaluation that explored various experiences of a person with dementia, their family supporter and mental health staff, involved in co-producing a course about “living well” with dementia, within a mental health Recovery College.DesignA qualitative, case study approach used semi-structured interviewing and inductive thematic analysis.FindingsCo-production activities generated a shared sense of positivity, pride and privilege, highlighting positive effects in breaking down the “them and us” barriers common in traditional healthcare professional-service user relationships. Each individual had both something to offer and something to gain during the process. Staff identified challenges in the co-production process; in that balancing all the voices during meetings could be complex at times, and the process overall required considerable time commitment.ConclusionTaking part in co-production at an appropriate level and with peer support is a relational activity seen to be valuable in powerfully, yet gently, challenging stigma and assumptions around dementia. Findings show that while the process of co-production requires time and dedication, there is overall value in involving people living with dementia both in co-production and in peer support. This provided a straightforward and beneficial means to inclusively improve post-diagnosis support and care quality within a memory service.

Ecosystem services provided by dry river socio-ecological systems and their drivers of change

AbstractDry rivers are a type of non-perennial river characterized by extreme dry conditions and dominance of terrestrial habitats. They are present in all continents, being especially abundant in arid and semiarid regions. Recent studies have shown their capacity to provide ecosystem services, although they are often undervalued and altered. This study is a literature review on the ecosystem services provided by dry rivers to human well-being. We apply the conceptual framework for the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. First, we describe and exemplify the services provided by the natural system and its biodiversity. Second, we present the contributions of the local social system to service provision through co-production processes. Finally, the main drivers of ecosystem change that alter service provision are listed and discussed. We found that dry rivers and their biodiversity contribute to local human well-being. The ecological knowledge and culture of local human communities acquired over generations contribute to service provision maintaining the socio-ecological system’s sustainability and its resilience to disturbances. Among drivers of change, those of a social-cultural (e.g., sedentarization) and economic (e.g., globalization) nature affect dry rivers’ capacity to provide ecosystem services the most. Reconciling people and dry rivers requires a great deal of research and education.

Development and modelling of a school-based mental health intervention: the co-production of the R.E.A.C.T. programme

The lack of effective school-based interventions for addressing mental health issues and psychological well-being in young people, particularly those with stakeholder involvement, for reducing test anxiety in adolescents has caused a call for interventions to be developed through the process of co-production with the key stakeholders, i.e. teachers and students. The purpose of this paper is to present the development and modelling of a coproduced school-based intervention to improve mental health and psychological well-being in adolescents in the post-primary setting. The intervention was developed through a six step co-production model. This included an extensive evidence review, interviews (n = 7), focus groups (n = 6), observations in three school settings and initial modelling of the intervention programme and resources in the co-research partner school. Findings were used to identify the preferred structure and content of the intervention. A six-week intervention for 12–14 year olds was co-produced along with relevant teacher resources and student work books. The intervention consisting of a psycho-educational component and physical activity component underpinned by cognitive, behavioural and self-regulation theories aimed to reduce test anxiety and improve psychological well-being. The co-production model was a successful series of six steps used to create and refine the intervention. The programme represents a theoretically informed intervention comprising multiple components. This study contributes to a better understanding of the determinants of mental health issues among young people and how an intervention can be effectively co-produced. The results suggest that a feasibility study is warranted with teachers delivering the programme.

Exergy analysis and optimization of bio-hydrogen and bio-methane cogeneration from corn stover based on genetic algorithm

In order to explore the influence of the technological parameters on the exergy efficiency of combined bio-hydrogen and bio-methane production process of corn stalk, an exergy equilibrium model was established based on exergy analysis. The method of genetic algorithm was applied to optimize the exergy efficiency of co-production process. The results showed that the exergy efficiency based on thermodynamics exergy at the optimal substrate concentration, initial pH value, and coupling time node was 23.43 %, 24.25 %, and 36.97 %, respectively. Exergy efficiency based on ecological exergy is 21.19 %, 21.92 %, and 31.46 %, respectively. The exergy efficiency based on thermodynamic exergy and ecological exergy behaves the same variation trend. When the optimal process parameters were substrate concentration 60 g/L, initial pH = 7, and coupling time node 12 h, the exergy efficiency was achieved up to 40.46 %, increased by 72.68 % compared to that without optimization.

Knowledge Co-Production in Scientific and Activist Alliances: Unsettling Coloniality

This paper examines alliances between scientists and local groups in the context of environmental justice conflicts. We analyze the trajectories of two white male scientific experts collaborating with activist groups in mining and nuclear conflicts around the world. We posit the knowledge co-production processes that take place in these collaborations can challenge (internal and external) power relations and hegemonic discourses around pollution. These collaborations can entail three types of co-production: (i) co-production of knowledge where new technical knowledge is co-created; (ii) co-production of interpretation through which knowledge is contextualized technically and politically; and (iii) the co-production of the mobilization of knowledge where different expertise collaborate in the elaboration of strategies based on their (scientific, local, Indigenous, traditional or experiential) knowledges and networks. Whilst knowledge co-production provides legitimacy and confidence to local groups; knowledge interpretation and its mobilization provide public legitimacy, visibility, and political leverage. This paper unsettles seemingly colonial processes pointing to the importance of locally driven alliances, the collaborative dynamics at play merging local and scientific expertise as well as the motivations and trajectories of scientists and local groups. Our approach makes visible how these alliances are the result of supra-local networks of support that connect scientists with local groups struggling against extractive activities.

‘Co-production on the inside’ – public professionals negotiating interaction between municipal actors and local citizens

ABSTRACT A growing number of public professionals are now expected to facilitate co-production processes with affected citizens to produce robust policies and services. Yet the role of ‘front-line co-producers’ and how their mindset and ability to cope with the cross-pressures affects co-production remains under-theorised and empirically understudied in the scholarly literature. The article provides concepts and empirical evidence of how ‘frontline co-producers’ navigate cross-pressures by exploring the enabling and inhibiting factors for co-production. Empirically, we draw on a case study of a Danish municipality consisting of qualitative interviews with 18 public professionals at different levels, all of whom have experience working with co-production. The findings contribute to the small but growing academic literature on the role of public professionals in co-production and how their individual-level practices, together with organisational and management factors, can enable or inhibit ‘co-production on the outside’.

Samskabelse mellem frontmedarbejdere og udsatte grupper

Co-production in its ideal sense, involves new roles for front-line workers and citizens. The potentials and barriers for the development of new roles for socially vulnerable citizens through co-production within social work has been discussed in the literature. Still, the consequences of these new roles, and in particular their transferability to other social work contexts has not been adequately investigated, why this is the aim of the article. Data are based on two qualitative case studies of co-production involving a Danish-Somali women’s association and the users of a Drop-in center for socially vulnerable citizens, respectively. The analysis is conducted through a lens of selected theoretical notions from Goffman’s role theory. It shows that although the citizens acquire new roles transcending the traditional professional-client relation, this only takes place within the concrete social situation of the specific co-production process and are not easily transferable to other contexts with other social actors.

Involving patients in medicines optimisation in general practice: a development study of the “PREparing Patients for Active Involvement in medication Review” (PREPAIR) tool

BackgroundMany patients have multiple health conditions and take multiple medications (polypharmacy). Active patient involvement may improve treatment outcomes and ensure patient-centred care. Yet, patient involvement remains a challenge in clinical practice. We aimed to develop and pilot test a questionnaire-based preparation and dialogue tool, the PREparing Patients for Active Involvement in medication Review (PREPAIR) tool, to encourage the involvement of patients with polypharmacy in medicines optimisation in general practice.MethodsWe conducted a literature review followed by a co-production process to develop the tool: a workshop with six GPs and pilot testing, including observations and interviews, with 22 patients, three GPs and three practice staff. During this process, we made continuous adaptations to the prototype. We analysed the qualitative data thematically, focusing on the development process and mechanisms of impact.FindingsThe final PREPAIR tool included five items concerning the patient’s experience of 1) adverse drug reactions, 2) excess medication, 3) unnecessary medication, 4) medication satisfaction and 5) medication-related topics to discuss with the GP (open-ended question). The applied workflow during testing was as follows; the patient completed the PREPAIR tool at home, to encourage reflection on the medication, and brought it to the GP consultation. During the consultation, the GP and the patient reviewed the patient’s responses and discussed potential medication-related problems. For some patients, the increased reflection led to worries about the medications. Still, the pilot testing showed that, when using the PREPAIR tool, the patients arrived at the clinic well prepared and empowered to speak. From the PREPAIR-supported dialogue, the GPs obtained a better understanding of patients’ perspectives and provided a more patient-centred consultation. For the patients, the PREPAIR-supported dialogue ultimately promoted an increased sense of security, satisfaction and insight into their medication, despite initial worries for some patients.ConclusionsWe developed a brief tool to support active patient involvement in medication review in general practice. The PREPAIR-tool was well received by both patients and GPs and fitted well into the existing clinical practice. Our findings suggest that the PREPAIR-tool can support patient involvement during consultations and facilitate patient-centred care.

A partnership approach to the design and use of a quantitative measure: Co-producing and piloting the WASH gender equality measure in Cambodia and Nepal

ABSTRACT The connections between WASH and gender equality have been extensively explored and documented using qualitative approaches, but not yet through quantitative means in ways that can strengthen WASH programming. The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Gender Equality Measure (WASH-GEM) is a novel quantitative multidimensional tool co-produced in partnership between researchers and practitioners. This article explores three dimensions of the WASH-GEM co-production and implementation: (i) the role of partnerships in co-production processes for bringing contextual and practitioner knowledge into measure development; (ii) selected results from the validation pilot in Cambodia and Nepal (n = 3,056) that demonstrate ways in which the measure can inform WASH programming through analysis at different levels and with different co-variants; and (iii) the collaborative process of translating research into programming. The study illustrates that strong partnership and co-production processes were foundational for the development of a conceptually rigorous quantitative measure that has practical relevance. The findings presented in this article have implications for future measure development and WASH programming that aims to influence gender equality in rural communities.

Co-developing evidence-informed adaptation actions for resilient citywide sanitation: Local government response to climate change in Indonesia

Already climate-related hazards are impacting sanitation systems in Indonesia and elsewhere, and climate models indicate these hazards are likely to increase in frequency and intensity. Without due attention, to maintain existing progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6’s target 6.2 and to increase it to meet ambitions for 2030 will be difficult. City governments need new forms of evidence to respond, as well as approaches to enable them to consider sufficient breadth of strategies to adapt effectively. This paper describes a co-production research process which engaged local governments in four cities in Indonesia experiencing different climate hazards. Local government engagement took place across three stages of (i) inception and design, (ii) participation as key informants and (iii) joint analysis and engagement on the findings. We adapted and simplified a risk prioritisation process based on current literature and employed a novel framework of a ‘climate resilient sanitation system’ to prompt articulation of current and proposed climate change adaptation response actions. In contrast to many current framings of climate resilience in sanitation that focus narrowly on technical responses, the results paint a rich picture of efforts needed by city governments across all domains, including planning, institutions, financing, infrastructure and management options, user awareness, water cycle management and monitoring and evaluation. Local government commitment and improved comprehension on the implications of climate change for sanitation service delivery were key outcomes arising from the co-production process. With strengthened policy and capacity building initiatives from national level, this foundation can be supported, and Indonesian city governments will be equipped to move forward with adaptation actions that protect on-going access to sanitation services, public health and the environment.