Digital Co-Production of Public Services

Edited by Taco Brandsen, Professor of Public Administration, Institute for Management Research, Radboud University, the Netherlands, Ina Radtke, Assistant Professor, Institute for Management Research, Radboud University, the Netherlands, A. Paula Rodriguez Müller, Researcher and Scientific Officer, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Spain and Trui Steen, Professor of Public Governance and Co-Production of Public Services, Public Governance Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium

‘This volume explores various aspects of digital co-production, its backgrounds and challenges, application of emerging technologies, critical aspects in the phase of practical application, opportunities and risks. The authors explore not only positive aspects of digital co-production, such as improving co-design, making co-production more inclusive through deducing information asymmetry and contributing to transparency, but also some of its negative consequences, such as failing accountability and rejection of responsibility, escalation of transaction costs, reinforced inequalities, erosion of democracy, and co-destruction of public value. The volume also hints at possible directions for future research in the field of digital co-production. The topic of digital co-production is rather new, while co-production has already been an established area of research for a while. Since the advancement of innovative technologies has been so fast, research on digital co-production holds enormous potentials as well as limitations, mostly due to the available technology, but also because of the capacities of the people in charge of adopting and understanding those technologies. Thus, the volume marks an impressive starting point of this kind of research.’

• Contents1 Digital co-production of public services: an introduction 1Taco Brandsen, Ina Radtke, A. Paula Rodriguez Müller andTrui SteenPART I FOUNDATIONS OF DIGITAL CO-PRODUCTION2 The challenges and contradictions of digital co-production 10Veiko Lember3 Mapping pre-conditions for (sustained) participation in digitalco-production 24Laurien CoenenPART II EMERGING TRENDS IN DIGITAL CO-PRODUCTION4 Artificial intelligence for co-production: existing solutionsand research directions 48Nicolas Bono Rossello, Anthony Simonofski andAnnick Castiaux5 Co-production and nudging in the digital era: enhancement ofpublic services? 78Maddalena Sorrentino and Laura IacovonePART III PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AND CHALLENGESIN THE LIFECYCLE OF DIGITAL CO-PRODUCTION6 How can digital co-design be carried out? A summary of thetools and interactions between service users, designers, andpublic servants in digital co-design 102Nathalie Haug7 A blended social interaction and learning framework for theuse of digital tools in co-production 118Daniel Masterson and Marlene Ockander8 Digital co-assessment of public services and policies: a stepforward or a trade-off too far? 136A. Paula Rodriguez Müller9 Critical decisions in keeping stakeholders engaged: a processperspective on digital collaborative platforms 157Ina Radtke and Taco Brandsen10 Practical recommendations 175Taco Brandsen, Ina Radtke, A. Paula Rodriguez Müller andTrui Steen