Co-production Of Public Services Research Articles

How Does Homeownership Shape Public Service Coproduction? Evidence from a Public Complaint System in Beijing, China

How Does Homeownership Shape Public Service Coproduction? Evidence from a Public Complaint System in Beijing, China

Adopting, implementing and assimilating coproduced health and social care innovations involving structurally vulnerable populations: findings from a longitudinal, multiple case study design in Canada, Scotland and Sweden

BackgroundInnovations in coproduction are shaping public service reform in diverse contexts around the world. Although many innovations are local, others have expanded and evolved over time. We know very little, however, about the process of implementation and evolution of coproduction. The purpose of this study was to explore the adoption, implementation and assimilation of three approaches to the coproduction of public services with structurally vulnerable groups.MethodsWe conducted a 4 year longitudinal multiple case study (2019–2023) of three coproduced public service innovations involving vulnerable populations: ESTHER in Jönköping Region, Sweden involving people with multiple complex needs (Case 1); Making Recovery Real in Dundee, Scotland with people who have serious mental illness (Case 2); and Learning Centres in Manitoba, Canada (Case 3), also involving people with serious mental illness. Data sources included 14 interviews with strategic decision-makers and a document analysis to understand the history and contextual factors relating to each case. Three frameworks informed the case study protocol, semi-structured interview guides, data extraction, deductive coding and analysis: the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the Diffusion of Innovation model and Lozeau’s Compatibility Gaps to understand assimilation.ResultsThe adoption of coproduction involving structurally vulnerable populations was a notable evolution of existing improvement efforts in Cases 1 and 3, while impetus by an external change agency, existing collaborative efforts among community organizations, and the opportunity to inform a new municipal mental health policy sparked adoption in Case 2. In all cases, coproduced innovation centred around a central philosophy that valued lived experience on an equal basis with professional knowledge in coproduction processes. This philosophical orientation offered flexibility and adaptability to local contexts, thereby facilitating implementation when compared with more defined programming. According to the informants, efforts to avoid co-optation risks were successful, resulting in the assimilation of new mindsets and coproduction processes, with examples of how this had led to transformative change.ConclusionsIn exploring innovations in coproduction with structurally vulnerable groups, our findings suggest several additional considerations when applying existing theoretical frameworks. These include the philosophical nature of the innovation, the need to study the evolution of the innovation itself as it emerges over time, greater attention to partnered processes as disruptors to existing power structures and an emphasis on driving transformational change in organizational cultures.

Co-Production of Public Services and Performance of Counties in Kenya: Does Literacy Matter?

The benefits of an educated citizenry have been acknowledged widely as their contribution to governance is apparent including their participation in the production of services. As a result, citizens are increasingly involved in critical decisions of the state through public participation. It is on this basis that the study sought to examine the role of literacy levels on the relationship between coproduction and performance. Data was obtained from round 9 of the Afrobarometer survey. A sample of 2400 respondents was identified using a stratified random sampling technique. The sample was spread across the 47 counties of Kenya. A total of 8 Enumeration Areas (EAs) of 300 samples were selected. Probability Proportionate to Population Size (PPPS) was used to randomly choose population Sampling Units (PSUs). Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and administered by research assistants. The study established that the performance of county governments was below the citizens expectation. Nevertheless, there was a significant relationship between co production and performance for the respondents with basic and tertiary education clusters as opposed to those with informal education. The finding builds the existing literature on co production, literacy and performance and helps stakeholders to create polices to support the co production framework and establish an environment for promoting literacy of citizens.

Technology-enabled value co-creation in healthcare: a configurational approach

ABSTRACT Based on the well-recognized multidimensionality of public value and the increasing role of technology in public service co-production, this paper investigates how combinations of the caregivers’ antecedents stemming from the Health Co-Creation Evaluation Framework, can either support or hamper value-in-use co-creation by being empowered in carrying out telemedicine. This article employs a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of 23 cases and shows different but functionally equivalent configurations of conditions that lead to the co-creation and co-destruction of public value. The findings also reveal practical insights that public managers and policy makers could use to foster the co-creation of public value.

The complexity of leadership in coproduction practices: a guiding framework based on a systematic literature review

BackgroundAs coproduction in public services increases, understanding the role of leadership in this context is essential to the tasks of establishing relational partnerships and addressing power differentials among groups. The aims of this review are to explore models of coproduction leadership and the processes involved in leading coproduction as well as, based on that exploration, to develop a guiding framework for coproduction practices.MethodsA systematic review that synthesizes the evidence reported by 73 papers related to coproduction of health and welfare.ResultsDespite the fact that models of coleadership and collective leadership exhibit a better fit with the relational character of coproduction, the majority of the articles included in this review employed a leader-centric underlying theory. The practice of coproduction leadership is a complex activity pertaining to interactions among people, encompassing nine essential practices: initiating, power-sharing, training, supporting, establishing trust, communicating, networking, orchestration, and implementation.ConclusionsThis paper proposes a novel framework for coproduction leadership practices based on a systematic review of the literature and a set of reflective questions. This framework aims to help coproduction leaders and participants understand the complexity, diversity, and flexibility of coproduction leadership and to challenge and enhance their capacity to collaborate effectively.

Co-production of social innovations and enabling ecosystems for social enterprises

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to show (1) how social innovations are created through co-production in social enterprises in Finland and (2) how enabling ecosystems for the creation of social innovations can be enhanced by the government.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a descriptive case study. The data comprises focus group interviews that were conducted during a research project in Finland in 2022. The interviewees represented different social enterprises, other non-profit organisations and national funding institutions.FindingsSocial enterprises create social innovations in Finland through co-production, where service innovation processes, activism and networking are central. Also, to build an enabling ecosystem, government must base the system upon certain elements: enabling characteristics of the stakeholders, co-production methods and tools and initiatives by the government.Originality/valueThe authors address an important challenge that social enterprises struggle with: The position of social enterprises in Finland is weak and entrepreneurs experience prejudice from both the direction of “traditional” businesses and the government which often does not recognise social enterprise as a potential partner for public service delivery. Nonetheless, social enterprises create public value by contributing to the co-production of public services. They work in interorganisational networks by nature and can succeed where the traditional public organisations and private businesses fail.

The Challenges and Benefits of Co-Production Models in Public Services in Makkasar City

This study aimed to develop a recommendation model for the co-production of public services based on community shelters, involving collaboration between the government, community organizations, NGOs, shelter leaders, and the private sector in Makassar City. The objective was to improve the quality and accessibility of public services by utilizing the knowledge and networks of service users. The study utilized a qualitative approach, including observation, document review, and interviews with key informants from the local department of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection and shelter administrators. The data analysis followed a qualitative method involving data organization, selection of analysis units, identification of categories and themes, analysis and interpretation, verification, and reporting. The results and discussions present a recommended model for the co-production of public services in community shelters in Makassar City, emphasizing the need for social readiness, effective communication, and trust-building among stakeholders. The study also highlights the challenges of implementing co-production, such as conflicting interests, complex coordination, and the importance of understanding the behavior and motivations of the involved actors. The proposed model aims to enhance collaboration between the government and community to provide sustainable solutions to shelter-related issues and improve the well-being of residents.
 Keywords: public services, collaboration, shared decision-making

Introduction to the special issue: facilitating citizen engagement in interactive governance

ABSTRACT This is an introduction to the special issue on facilitating citizen engagement in interactive governance. In this special issue, we focus on facilitators: the professionals that support and organise various forms of collaboration between governments and citizens that elsewhere have been conceptualised as interactive governance. We explore the main pressures that facilitators face and how these are negotiated in deliberative forms of policy-making, the co-production of public services, and in community-induced civic initiatives. With this exploration, we contribute to a burgeoning literature on facilitators as in-between actors, we make a unique comparison across three forms of interactive governance that are often analysed separately, we bring together disparate literatures on democratic innovation and public policy implementation, and we offer nuances and perspectives from various countries with six articles addressing facilitation in Scotland, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Living labs for civic technologies: a case study. Community infrastructuring for a volunteer firefighting service.

Digital technologies are increasingly adopted and developed in living labs, to support and enable co-production processes around wellbeing related public services. This research report presents the case of one of the local laboratories established by the European project NLAB4CIT, in the city of Kaisariani, Greece. In order to enhance community engagement, participatory design methods are applied under an "infrastructuring" notion; the living lab model is reapproached as community infrastructure; and digital tools are understood as civic technologies. The article reports on the initial co-design phases, in order to provide other living labs on digital co-production with an overview on the socio-technical challenges encountered. These challenges concern how community actors can engage in the process of co-production of public services, and how digital technologies can be introduced to this purpose. Strength factors emerge such as the existence of an already active community, the creation of an enduring space of collaboration between researchers and citizens, and a civic approach to technology that makes them accessible and tailored. Open challenges concern the role of the public administration, the extent to which technologies are actually co-designed and co-developed, and some technical issues such as internet accessibility.

Typologies of co-production of public services: A scale proposal

The objective of this work was to create a scale of typologies of co-production of public services. For this, the steps for building scales proposed by Costa (2011) were followed. The exploratory phase took place in the form of an integrative literature review and item generation. Meanwhile, the descriptive phase details the procedures for constructing and validating the scale. The scale consists of 5 factors (preliminary, initial, basic, intermediate and advanced) and 19 items generated from 301 valid responses. The research presents its contributions by delivering a scale that is both capable of measuring the different ways citizens see co-production and has the potential to contribute to future studies.

Relationships between Levels of Bureaucracy and their Effects on the Co-production of Public Health Services

Research objective: This research analyzes how relationships between different levels of local bureaucracy (top, mid, and street-level) – and the context of rules and values in which they operate – affect the practices of co-production of public health services. Theoretical Framework: The study is based on two distinct theoretical concepts rarely associated in the literature: the co-production of public services and levels of bureaucracy. Methodology: It is a qualitative research examining the family health strategy in three medium-sized Brazilian municipalities. Results: The six co-production arrangements identified showed that co-production practices materialize in different ways, sharing more or less power with users, depending on the different patterns of relationship between levels of bureaucracy and the bureaucracy and citizens. Originality: Few studies analyze co-production from the state’s point of view. Therefore, this research explores a gap in the literature, focusing on the relationships between levels of bureaucracy and their influence on public service co-production practices. Theoretical and practical contributions: The results raised four points to be theoretically developed, points that also deserve the attention of practitioners operating in co-production: (1) Any level of bureaucracy can offer resistance or openness to co-production, and this is not hierarchically determined; (2) A structure of support and incentive for co-production by the top and mid-level bureaucracy does not guaranteethe engagement of street-level bureaucracy; (3) The collaboration of top and mid-level bureaucracy is essential to expand co-production results; (4) Different relationship patterns between levels of bureaucracy and between the bureaucracy and citizens.   Keywords:Co-production, Levels of bureaucracy, Co-production arrangements, Co-production of public health services.

Social Identity and Cooperative Behavior by Public Administrators

Scholars suggest that coproduction may exacerbate inequity in the delivery of services because citizens with high need may have fewer resources to commit to the process. We explore whether differences between administrators and citizens might also contribute to such inequities. We use Social Identity Theory to develop the expectation that administrators may have a greater affinity for and are more willing to work with in-group members in the coproduction of public services. Evidence from a survey experiment with approximately 200 public administrators demonstrates that racial congruence increases the likelihood of cooperative behavior indirectly through its impact on sympathy for a partner. The results do not suggest a direct impact for shared identity on cooperative behavior.

A Multi-Faceted Approach to Improving Public Services in Low-Income Housing in Windhoek, Namibia

The characteristics of low-income housing in Namibia include severe inequality in housing standards, heavy reliance on non-office jobs, overcrowding, and poor infrastructure. This study uses a survey and semi-structured interviews to investigate the improved service delivery of this low-income housing. It explores this through the perspectives of community-based facilities management, sustainability, and enterprise development. In particular, the study examines opportunities for enterprise development, the willingness to participate in the production and management of public services, and the current state of public services in selected settlements in Windhoek. The results show that a lack of access to fire safety, disaster prevention, recreation, green spaces and tourist facilities are gaps in service delivery. Residents are willing to participate in both the co-production and management of public services. The study also found that residents have the appropriate skills to enable their engagement in management and production, and suitable governance structures are put in place to foster trust. The study recommends a policy that requires community visioning focused on public service improvement. It also calls for renewed trends in low-income people’s participation in public service development processes. The study’s contribution to existing knowledge on this subject is that it produced a multi-faceted framework for improving public services in low-income housing that is based on principles (and actions) of sustainability and policy (and planning) of land/housing access and has the potential to lead to public service-based community wellbeing.

Exploring the Relationship Between Privatization in Public Service Delivery and Coproduction: Evidence from U.S. Local Governments

Since the New Public Management Movement, privatization has become a popular approach for delivering public services. However, few studies empirically assess the relationship between privatization of public service delivery and citizen participation in coproduction. Taking advantage of a national survey of U.S. local government chief administrators, this study aims to contribute to the literature by exploring the link between these two important mechanisms of public service provision. Our findings indicate that local governments are more likely to involve citizens in coproduction when a larger proportion of service delivery is privatized. Regarding various types of coproduction, privatization in public service delivery is positively associated with the likelihood of citizen involvement in co-planning, co-design, and co-assessment, but not in co-delivery. Finally, compared to for-profit service providers, involving nonprofit organizations in public service delivery is likely to create more opportunities for citizens to be involved in the coproduction of public services.

How Does Living in Temporary Accommodation and the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact under 5s' Healthcare Access and Health Outcomes? A Qualitative Study of Key Professionals in a Socially and Ethnically Diverse and Deprived Area of London.

Children < 5 years living in temporary accommodation (U5TA) are vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Few qualitative studies have examined service provider perspectives in family homelessness; none have focused on U5TA with a cross-sector approach. This study explored professionals' perspectives of the barriers and facilitators, including pandemic-related challenges, experienced by U5TA in accessing healthcare and optimising health outcomes, and their experiences in delivering services. Sixteen semi-structured online interviews were conducted. Professionals working in Newham (London) with U5TA families were recruited from non-profit organisations, the health sector, and Local Authority. A thematic analysis was conducted. Professionals described barriers including poor parental mental health; unsuitable housing; no social support; mistrust of services; immigration administration; and financial insecurity. Digital poverty, language discordance, and the inability to register and track U5TA made them even less visible to services. Professionals tried to mitigate barriers with improved communication, and through community facilitators. Adverse pandemic effects on U5TA health included delay and regression in developmental milestones and behaviours. In-person services were reduced, exacerbating pre-existing barriers. COVID-19 further reduced the ability of professionals to deliver care to U5TA and significantly impacted the lives of U5TA with potential life-long risks. Innovative and tailored cross-sector strategies are needed, including co-production of public health services and policies focusing on early development, mental health support, employment training, and opportunities for parents/carers.

Os “contratos impacto social”: uma nova modalidade de Parceria Público-Privada da nova governança pública

This article seeks to analyze the model of the “social impact bonds”, as a co-production instrument in the effective provision of state responsibilities, in harmony with the newest paradigm of the public administration, known as “new public governance”. In order to do so, this article will seek to clarify the theoretical outlines of the “new public governance” model, especially the “co-production” model, as an instrument of effectiveness in the execution of public services, in a broad sense, such as several examples observed worldwide. Knowing these guidelines for the co-production of public services is important so that this work can better identify the main legal and operational characteristics of the social impact bonds. In addition, this article will study a successful case of the implementation of a social impact bonds, promoted by the State of New York, whose object is the reduction of the high rate of criminal recurrence. This paper will also analyze an effort of its implantation by the State of São Paulo, not initiated because of the lack of legal basis for its implementation. This article will seek to demonstrate that the social impact bonds is a kind of project finance initiative, whose creation of new rules are essential in Brazil, both for the existence of successful cases, as well as for the adequacy of its adoption with the most current guidelines for efficiency in the performance of tasks reserved for Public Administration.

Entrepreneurship role in the co-production of public services in informal settlements − A scoping review

From a land-use planning perspective, informal settlements emerge because of dysfunctions in contemporary cities, leading to inequities in living conditions and exclusions of people in spaces outside the formal planned areas of cities. This paper explores how entrepreneurship in informal settlements contributes to the co-production of public services. The paper is based on social entrepreneurship frameworks (concerned with infrastructure, environment, housing and technology) that emerged from the literature review, focusing on strategies to solve challenges in informal settlements. The essence of the review was to ascertain the nature of existing and potential entrepreneurial initiatives and the implications for actors, communities, urban governance systems and research. The Campbell collaboration systematic literature review technique was adapted (in a scoping format) as a methodology to screen relevant studies by following the PRISMA Flow statement. The literature review process involved screening 2835 articles from 109 scientific journals published between 2014 and 2022. The outcome of the literature review indicated that current research in this area differed in focus, methodology, and application of theory. It concluded that research that focuses on the contribution of entrepreneurs to the co-production of public services in informal settlements is limited. Using the knowledge that emerged from the literature review, the current study produced an entrepreneurial framework for co-producing public services in informal settlements. It also provided an overview of theoretical and practical knowledge for further research. Future researchers can use the findings of this study to align their research within the interface between entrepreneurship and land management.

How did living in temporary accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic affect children younger than 5 years' access to health care and health outcomes? A qualitative study of key professionals in a socially and ethnically diverse and deprived area of London

BackgroundChildren younger than 5 years living in temporary accommodation due to homelessness (U5TA) are extremely vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Few qualitative studies have examined provider perspectives in family homelessness, but none focused on U5TA specifically. We aimed to qualitatively explore professionals' perspectives of pandemic-related challenges and barriers experienced by U5TA in accessing health care and optimising health outcomes, and their experiences of delivering U5TA services. Methods16 semi-structured interviews were done online. Professionals working in the London Borough of Newham with U5TA families were purposively sampled and recruited from non-profit organisations, the health sector, and local authority. A thematic codebook approach was used to analyse the data combining inductive and deductive codes using an adapted socioecological model as a guiding theoretical framework. FindingsTwo non-profit organisation professionals, seven health visitors, one GP, therapist, dietician, nurse, public health consultant, and two social workers from the local authority's No Recourse to Public Funds team described adverse pandemic effects on U5TA health: delay and regression in developmental milestones and behaviours—eg, toileting, feeding skills, emotional regulation, and social-communication skills. Pre-existing systemic barriers were exacerbated during the pandemic when the reduction of in-person services with professionals necessitated remote delivery of health and social care services. Differential effects of digital poverty, language discordance, and inability to register and track U5TA rendered this population invisible to services. Professionals highly agreed that barriers to optimal health outcomes and service access included poor mental health, unsuitable housing, no social support, mistrust of mainstream services, immigration administration, financial insecurity, and loss of informal jobs among U5TA families. Professionals sometimes mitigated these barriers with good communication skills, developing trusting relations, and through community facilitators. InterpretationCOVID-19 widened health inequalities and inequities, substantially affecting the lives of U5TA and ability of professionals to deliver quality care to U5TA. Innovative and tailored cross-sector strategies, including co-production of public health services, are required. Policies and services urgently need to focus on early development, mental health support, employment training, and opportunities for parents and carers, plus unambiguous definitions of what is deemed suitable accommodation and actionable planned steps to ensure enforcement. FundingNone.

Framing co-productive conservation in partnership with Arctic Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous communities at the front lines of climate change and biodiversity loss are increasingly shaping the conservation of lands, waters, and species. The Arctic is a hotbed for emerging local, national, and international conservation efforts, and researchers, managers, and communities alike will benefit from a framework that improves approaches to Indigenous partnerships. Co-productive conservation is a framework that encompasses both the co-production of knowledge and the co-production of public services to pursue ethically conscious, culturally relevant, and fully knowledge-based approaches to biodiversity concerns. Co-productive conservation recognizes that conservation can be practiced in a way that embodies Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, rights, priorities, and livelihoods. Six iterative and reflexive co-production processes (i.e., co-planning, co-prioritizing, co-learning, co-managing, co-delivering, and co-assessing) focus on the human dimensions that allow research, management, and conservation to affect change. By opening discussions on how to structure conservation efforts in partnership with Indigenous communities, the conservation community can move away from narratives that perceive Indigenous participation as an obligation or part of an ethical narrative and instead embrace a process that broadens the evidence base and situates conservation within Indigenous contexts.

Co-production and Crisis Management: Overcoming COVID-19 and the Hunger Pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic spread a multidimensional crisis of never-beforeexperienced proportions. Because of it, the situation in Brazil, which already had ascenario of great vulnerabilities and social disparities prior to the pandemic, was aggravated. The crisis and the fragility of the State's responses to the emerging demands were evidenced by the effort of the organized civil society to meet such demands. This study analyses the crisis management and co-production process during the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Santa Maria-RS, in 2020, via the Mesa Brasil food bank program. The chosen research strategy was the case study. Data collection was carried out through documentary research, interviews and surveys with managers of participating institutions in the Mesa Brasil program. For the results, a content analysis technique was undertaken. The study allowed to conclude that crisis management, through co-participation, allows the understanding of the use of innovative and collective strategies as a means to overcome the emerging difficulties arising from crises in which social vulnerability increases. The research also explains how, in the specific context of the pandemic crisis, co-production of public services stood out for the adhesion of organizations, sharing responsibility and power in the production and delivery of public services to maintain food security and reduce food waste.