This chapter considers the many contending definitions of co-production and highlights that they have a common core, containing elements of both citizen action and citizen voice and covering some or all of the Four Co’s—co-commissioning, co-design, co-delivery and co-assessment. From this analysis, the authors develop a definition of co-production and show how it can play a key role in creating public value by improving publicly desired outcomes, making public services more cost-effective, strengthening whole-system resilience and supporting the achievement of public governance principles. A five-step change management model is discussed which helps to operationalise greater and more cost-effective co-production.
User and Community Co-production of Public Value