Together for Better Public Services: Partnering with Citizens and Civil Society
This report analyses the partnerships that governments form with citizens, users and
CSOs in order to innovate and deliver improved public service outcomes. These approaches
can offer creative policy responses that enable governments to provide better public
services in times of fiscal constraints. Although co production and citizens’ involvement
are still in the developmental stage in many countries, early efforts appear to lead
to cost reductions, better service quality and improved user satisfaction. This report
identifies the risks of citizen and user involvement in service delivery, and the
barriers that must be overcome to make these models work. Top-level political commitment,
adequate public sector capacity, and aligned financial incentives are the key factors
for success.
“Co-production is attracting increasing interest among scholars and practitioners
alike. This report, which offers a comprehensive survey of existing practice across
OECD countries, is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the state of play
internationally.”
-Professor John Alford, Australia and New Zealand School of Government, (author, Engaging
Public Sector Clients: From Service-Delivery to Co-Production, Palgrave Macmillan,
2009)
Published on August 31, 2011Also available in: French
In series:OECD Public Governance Reviewsview more titles