Understanding Public Value – Why Does It Matter?

Abstract

This introduction to the special issue looks back at the debates over public value and public values. It suggests that a focus on recognising public value provides a way to bring the different streams together. Drawing on papers from a workshop conducted in July 2019, it sets out three issues critical to understanding the concept: the need for better definition of the core concepts, its contribution to understanding the nature of institutions and the policy process, and ways to bring back the critical issues of power and heterogeneity into our consideration of public value. The special issue aims to expand our understanding of 'public value' and in so doing, better understand how it contributes to public policy research and practice.

Can the Policy Environment Improve Policy Implementation Practice?

“…Th e quality of a government is achieved when its activities and performance refl ect the contours of the value system that exists within the niche of its entity. Th e government will not alienate the public if it invests in the intelligence of government actors, including the collection and incorporation of social capital into the process (Fukuyama, 2013;Shrestha, 2015;Mamokhere et al, 2021;Prudence et al, 2021;Lim et al, 2016). Th e existence of broad public trust is evidenced by the group's contribution to the integrated development framework at the local level, the strengthening of self-cooperative institutions, the construction of business centers, and the establishment of home-based industries (start-ups).…”

“…Only authorities that are able to facilitate the expansion of public preferences in a responsible manner can gain the trust of the public. According to Prudence et al (2021) and Radhika (2012), it is crucial to present a variety of ethical alternatives for public administrators to improve their ethics at the professional level. Th e fi rst is deontological, where offi cial ethics are based on institutional oaths; the second is consequential or teleological, where utilitarian and cost-benefi t analysis are examples of this group's practice; and the third is spiritual wisdom ethics, where internal ethics are reproduced from a constant dialogue between thought and intuitive awareness.…”

Repowerment beyond empowerment: collaborative accountability of citizens, corporations and civil servants

“…This involves actively participating in the policy process, whether as government watchdogs, observers (O'Connell, 1994), or as engaged voters and political party members (Hoskins and Mascherini, 2009). Their voices, influenced by self-interest or altruism (Lee et al, 2020), play a crucial role in shaping policies that reflect diverse public values (Brown et al, 2021). In specific, citizens exercise their empowered right to participate in the policy process, which spans from electing their representatives as policymakers to actively voicing their opinions in public service provision.…”

Concept of public services coproduction: Creating prerequisites of development or streetlight effect?

“…При этом мнение ряда исследователей о том, что возникновение концепции ценностей для общества означало переход к новой «парадигме» в госуправлении (O'Flynn 2007;West and Davis, 2011), было критически воспринято другими учеными (Lodge and Gill, 2011). Дискуссия о концепции ценности для общества продолжается и в наши дни, что явно свидетельствует о неудовлетворенности части исследователей результатами, достигнутыми более десятилетия назад (Brown et al, 2021). Попытка оценить место ценности для общества в совокупности других концептуальных подходов к госуправлению была предпринята в (Turkel and Turkel, 2016).…”