The Impact of Co-Production brings together scholars, artists, practitioners, and community activists to explore the possibilities for--and tensions of--social justice work through collaboration between communities and the academy. Amid a widespread institutional emphasis on increased involvement and co-production with the community, what can we expect when long-established community-oriented research practices collide with the day-to-day work of activism? How should we think about the key tenets and terms of that research, and the ongoing critique of them mounted by activists, artists, and other community members? Deploying case studies from the United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden, and Canada, and taking in universities, independent research organizations, and museums and galleries, this book breaks new ground in our understanding of the possibilities, and pitfalls, of co-production.

This open access book highlights the complexities around making adaptation decisions and building resilience in the face of climate risk. It is based on experiences in sub-Saharan Africa through the Future Climate For Africa (FCFA) applied research programme. It begins by dealing with underlying principles and structures designed to facilitate effective engagement about climate risk, including the robustness of information and the construction of knowledge through co-production. Chapters then move on to explore examples of using climate information to inform adaptation and resilience through early warning, river basin development, urban planning and rural livelihoods based in a variety of contexts. These insights inform new ways to promote action in policy and praxis through the blending of knowledge from multiple disciplines, including climate science that provides understanding of future climate risk and the social science of response through adaptation. The book will be of interest to advanced undergraduate students and postgraduate students, researchers, policy makers and practitioners in geography, environment, international development and related disciplines.

A comprehensive, in depth and accessible resource for students of public sector management and administration: with an international authorship, this is more comprehensive, cohesive and international than any other textbook in the area.

This book examines the various ways in which co-production can contribute to the creation, design, and delivery of public services, namely by engaging the expertise of users and their networks, by promoting public services that are better targeted and more responsive to users, by cutting costs against the background of austerity in public finance, by creating a synergy between government and civil society that will impact positively on social capital, and by addressing the challenges resulting from growing democratic and citizenship deficits. Particular attention is paid to local government and the health and social care sector. After definition of the concept of co-production, the critical issues which arise when public services are co-produced are discussed. Various experiences of co-production are presented and analyzed with a view to highlighting why, how, and with what effect public service co-production may be implemented. Individual chapters focus on the impact of co-production in making cities smarter and the use of ICT in supporting co-production of public services. The book will be of relevance to a wide readership, from students to academics and professionals interested or engaged in public service management.

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.

The Impact of Co-Production brings together scholars, artists, practitioners, and community activists to explore the possibilities for--and tensions of--social justice work through collaboration between communities and the academy. Amid a widespread institutional emphasis on increased involvement and co-production with the community, what can we expect when long-established community-oriented research practices collide with the day-to-day work of activism? How should we think about the key tenets and terms of that research, and the ongoing critique of them mounted by activists, artists, and other community members? Deploying case studies from the United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden, and Canada, and taking in universities, independent research organizations, and museums and galleries, this book breaks new ground in our understanding of the possibilities, and pitfalls, of co-production.