The Pitfalls of a Popular Concept : Co-Production in Times of Individualization, Marketization, and De-Politicization
Eriksson, Erik Masao and Eriksson, Erik LU
(2023)
In Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration
p.87-107
- Abstract
- Co-production between public administrators and citizens has attracted renewed interest in recent years. Co-production is predominantly perceived as something desirable and is claimed to improve service efficiency and outcome and user satisfaction, at the same time as addressing democratic ideals. Drawing from interviews with public administrators and patients in a Swedish healthcare context, this paper seeks to nuance the often overly positive notion of co-production by understanding these micro-level practices as being embedded in a macro-level societal context. Theorizing the empirical material based on three features of contemporary society – individualization, marketization, and de-politicization – we argue that co-production risks... (More)
- Co-production between public administrators and citizens has attracted renewed interest in recent years. Co-production is predominantly perceived as something desirable and is claimed to improve service efficiency and outcome and user satisfaction, at the same time as addressing democratic ideals. Drawing from interviews with public administrators and patients in a Swedish healthcare context, this paper seeks to nuance the often overly positive notion of co-production by understanding these micro-level practices as being embedded in a macro-level societal context. Theorizing the empirical material based on three features of contemporary society – individualization, marketization, and de-politicization – we argue that co-production risks placing a burden and responsibility on individual users and creating a (welfare)market in which better-off people are recruited and benefitted. In this sense, co-production may consolidate or reinforce inequalities. Through de-politicization, political issues may appear as value-free; however, as long as market-logics prevail, the welfare system and practices of co-production will, in some respects, be impotent to address crucial societal issues. Co-production as a collective practice targeting democratic standards is called for, rather than an efficiency focus, preferably by taking the recruitment of those in the greatest need seriously – scaffolded by a revitalized public service ethos of public administrators and their organizations. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4dc07ff6-cf21-446f-996d-b2bf60965b5b
- author
- Eriksson, Erik Masao
and Eriksson, Erik
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-09-15
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- co-production, individualization, marketization, de-politisation, healthcare, sweden
- in
- Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration
- pages
- 20 pages
- publisher
- University of Gothenburg, School of Public Administration
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85174072412
- ISSN
- 2001-7413
- DOI
- 10.58235/sjpa.v27i3.14155
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4dc07ff6-cf21-446f-996d-b2bf60965b5b
- date added to LUP
- 2023-09-15 11:54:41
- date last changed
- 2023-12-18 15:04:36
@article{4dc07ff6-cf21-446f-996d-b2bf60965b5b,
abstract = {{Co-production between public administrators and citizens has attracted renewed interest in recent years. Co-production is predominantly perceived as something desirable and is claimed to improve service efficiency and outcome and user satisfaction, at the same time as addressing democratic ideals. Drawing from interviews with public administrators and patients in a Swedish healthcare context, this paper seeks to nuance the often overly positive notion of co-production by understanding these micro-level practices as being embedded in a macro-level societal context. Theorizing the empirical material based on three features of contemporary society – individualization, marketization, and de-politicization – we argue that co-production risks placing a burden and responsibility on individual users and creating a (welfare)market in which better-off people are recruited and benefitted. In this sense, co-production may consolidate or reinforce inequalities. Through de-politicization, political issues may appear as value-free; however, as long as market-logics prevail, the welfare system and practices of co-production will, in some respects, be impotent to address crucial societal issues. Co-production as a collective practice targeting democratic standards is called for, rather than an efficiency focus, preferably by taking the recruitment of those in the greatest need seriously – scaffolded by a revitalized public service ethos of public administrators and their organizations.}},
author = {{Eriksson, Erik Masao and Eriksson, Erik}},
issn = {{2001-7413}},
keywords = {{co-production; individualization; marketization; de-politisation; healthcare; sweden}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{09}},
pages = {{87--107}},
publisher = {{University of Gothenburg, School of Public Administration}},
series = {{Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration}},
title = {{The Pitfalls of a Popular Concept : Co-Production in Times of Individualization, Marketization, and De-Politicization}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v27i3.14155}},
doi = {{10.58235/sjpa.v27i3.14155}},
year = {{2023}},
}