The Multiple Facets of Co-Production: Building on the work of Elinor Ostrom

Abstract

This article revisits Elinor Ostrom’s pioneering formulation more than three decades ago of the notion of co-production, which remains foundational, but closer scrutiny reveals further unexplored potential. This article focuses on the two parts of the term ‘co-production’, namely, its ‘production’, aspect with its sense of a process of turning inputs into products, and its ‘co’ aspect, with its sense of some kind of relationship. Both aspects have multiple facets, which are in some respects at odds and in others congruent with each other. The article canvasses ways of combining, trading off, and/or choosing between them.

Key words:

• Co-production
• Elinor Ostrom
• motivation
• public value
• service management

Notes

1 Vincent and Elinor Ostrom (1977) are generally credited with coining the term for the public sector. As far as I am aware, the first use of the term in either the public or private sectors, related especially to service industries, was Gersuny and Rosengren (1973).

2 This case study derives from interviews with senior managers in Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board.

3 Until recent years, public housing in Australian states was administered on a different basis to the social housing of most European countries. It was owned by the state and rented to lower-income or otherwise disadvantaged people at subsidized rates.