“We're not there to lead”: Professional roles and responsibilities in ‘citizen-led’ co-production

Although co-production is typically understood as occurring when “regular” producers involve citizens in service delivery, co-production also takes place in relation to services that are initiated and/or controlled by citizens. Based on theories and typologies of co-production and the facilitation of citizen initiatives, we propose that there exists a spectrum of co-production where citizens are at the fore, discussed as four primary forms—citizen-owned (i.e., citizen initiatives), citizen-driven (ideas proposed by citizens, realized through collaboration with professionals), transitional (temporary co-production before transferring to citizens), and enforced (transfer of responsibility for service delivery). Professionals' roles vary under each of these ideal types, in relation to their contribution to the core service or complementary tasks, their degree of responsibility, and assumption of risk. Understanding these variations helps provide nuance to analyses of the role of the professional in co-production, as a means to collaborate with citizens in public service provision more effectively.