Co-Production and Co-Creation

Co-production and co-creation occur when citizens participate actively in delivering and designing the services they receive. It has come increasingly onto the agenda of policymakers, as interest in citizen participation has more generally soared. Expectations are high and it is regarded as a possible solution to the public sector’s decreased legitimacy and dwindling resources, by accessing more of society’s capacities. In addition, it is seen as part of a more general drive to reinvigorate voluntary participation and strengthen social cohesion in an increasingly fragmented and individualized society."Co-Production and Co-Creation: Engaging Citizens in Public Services" offers a systematic and comprehensive theoretical and empirical examination of the concepts of co-production and co-creation and their application in practice. It shows the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of interest both to students at an advanced level, academics and reflective practitioners. It addresses the topics with regard to co-production and co-creation and will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of public administration, business administration, economics, political science, public management, political science service management, sociology and voluntary sector studies.

"This book’s interdisciplinary approach to co-production and co-creation is vital to advance debates in this field. It is particularly helpful to combine both academic and policy and practitioner perspectives." –Michelle Farr, University of Bristol, UK"Co-production and co-creation are timely topics with global relevance. This book fills a sorely needed gap that adds value on two fronts: within the academy and in the world of practice." –Brian N. Williams, University of Georgia, USA"Co-production and co-creation continue to fascinate and inspire public management as a practice and as a research field. The present volume presents a comprehensive overview of current dates and highlights a much needed interdisciplinary approach. Highly recommended for researchers and practitioners alike." –Carsten Greve, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark"This edited book offers a comprehensive overview of both terms and an extensive selection of case studies of the practice and challenges of co-production and co-creation in different settings around the globe." -Catherine Forde, University College Cork, Ireland

Taco Brandsen is Professor of Comparative Public Administration at Radboud University, The Netherlands; secretary-general of the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation (EAPAA); co-chair of the EGPA Permanent Study Group on 'Civil Society, Citizens and Government'; and editor-in-chief of the journal Voluntas.Trui Steen is Professor of Public Governance and Coproduction of Public Services at KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium. She is co-chair of the IIAS Study Group on 'Co-production of Public Services'.Bram Verschuere is Associate Professor in Public Management, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium. He is co-chair of the EGPA Permanent Study Group on 'Civil Society, Citizens and Government'.