Managing co-production and enhancing good governance principles: insights from two case studies

Cristina Campanale (), Sara Giovanna Mauro () and Alessandro Sancino ()
Additional contact information
Cristina Campanale: University of Pisa
Sara Giovanna Mauro: Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
Alessandro Sancino: Open University

Journal of Management & Governance, 2021, vol. 25, issue 1, No 11, 275-306

Abstract: Abstract Co-production of public services is attracting growing attention, although little is known regarding its outcomes. This paper aims to examine how the management of co-production can enhance the principles of good governance, which are intended as its potential outcomes. To this purpose, the research investigates the key issues in managing co-production to explain how they contribute to enhancing good governance principles and fulfil the potential of co-production as a transformative governance arrangement suitable for achieving outcomes instead of being an outcome per se. Two case studies were carried out in Italy with data gathered from both desk analysis and focus groups with key actors involved in the process of co-production. The findings show that group co-production may require limited participation and inclusiveness of actors who have a direct stake in co-produced services and are able to contribute to them. The findings also show that state actors should consider the perspective of lay actors for co-producing usable information. Specifically, the co-elaboration of managerial tools and measures contributes to strengthening horizontal accountability mechanisms which, however, act mainly through commitment. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on co-production and good governance by investigating key issues that can enhance good governance principles. It also provides practitioners with significant insights into the management of co-production.

Keywords: Co-production; Management of co-production; Good governance; Public services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10997-020-09508-y Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:25:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s10997-020-09508-y

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... 29/journal/10997/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s10997-020-09508-y

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Management & Governance is currently edited by Lino Cinquini

More articles in Journal of Management & Governance from Springer, Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().