Individual, Group, and Collective Co-production: The Role of Public Value Conceptions in Shaping Co-production Practices

In this paper, I explore how different conceptions of public value influence the types of co-production that professionals undertake in delivering projects to reduce loneliness and isolation of older people. The analysis shows a preponderance of individual and group co-production by the case in England, driven by aims to create user and group value, whereas the French case emphasizes collective co-production linked to social and political value. The research contributes to the co-production literature by showing how types of co-production are prioritized to a different extent to address the same social problem, shaped in part by cultural and political context.