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Discover Together: Attempting to Alter Understanding and Practices in Governments’ Work with Citizens

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The Palgrave Handbook of Co-Production of Public Services and Outcomes

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Abstract

Scholars increasingly draw attention to the benefits of collaborative governance. Yet few studies focus on the processes that help public organisations move in this direction. In this chapter, we investigate how differing conceptions of citizen roles become solidified in management practices. Using case study data from a local initiative designed to promote citizen engagement, we show how government staff involved in implementing the initiative struggled to shift from practices that viewed the citizen as a customer to practices that view the citizen as a co-producer. Our analysis draws attention to a set of tools that may help public organisations move in the direction of greater engagement, including the co-creation of material artefacts, staff development and training opportunities and the presence of external and internal translators.

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Acknowledgements

The project discussed here is greatly influenced by our colleagues at the Future Services Institute, an applied research and engagement centre focused on supporting redesign of health and human services. We want to acknowledge the work of Innovation Manager Jen Mein, Research Assistants Rachel Kutcher and Omar Leal, and our community partners in Minnesota. The work of Luke Van Horn and Deb Griffith was particularly significant in trying to help government learn more about the practice of authentic community engagement. We are grateful for their partnership.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Robin Phinney & Jodi Sandfort

Authors
  1. Robin Phinney
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  2. Jodi Sandfort
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Correspondence to Robin Phinney .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

    Elke Loeffler

  2. INLOGOV, School of Government, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Tony Bovaird

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Phinney, R., Sandfort, J. (2021). Discover Together: Attempting to Alter Understanding and Practices in Governments’ Work with Citizens. In: Loeffler, E., Bovaird, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Co-Production of Public Services and Outcomes. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53705-0_11

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