Configurations of Care Work: Fragile Partnerships in the Co-Production of Long-Term Care Services

Laila Tingvold () and Nina Olsvold
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Laila Tingvold: Centre for Care Research East, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 2815 Gjøvik, Norway
Nina Olsvold: Faculty of Health, VID Specialized University, 0370 Oslo, Norway

Societies, 2023, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: Over the last decade, authorities in several Western countries have stated their ambitions to increase the share of volunteers contributing alongside professionals in the future long-term care (LTC) sector, but the introduction of volunteers as co-producers of care services is sparsely investigated. This article is based on an empirical case study in Norway and investigates how co-production is translated into practice in diverse settings. Our findings demonstrate that understandings of voluntary work were fragmented. Co-production appears as a fragile partnership with an unclear understanding of the roles, expectations, and opportunities among the various parties who had different purposes/agendas and limited knowledge. To successfully provide added value in coproducing care, agents need to understand the whole picture and context, and build a common understanding of ‘why’ coproduce.

Keywords: voluntary work; co-production; long-term care; volunteers; care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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