SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT IN COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE: Introducing a Nordic Welfare State model

The increased focus on collaborative governance in the western world—the collaborative nexus between civic society, public organizations and private
enterprises—demands new forms of organizational recipes in the public sector for delivering better results for citizens and public service users [1,2]. A key lever in this search for improved results is the involvement of service users’ knowledge in the redefinition of public services. The arguments are that public services will be better targeted to the service users, and that the service users are empowered with the ambition to mobilize their individual resources [3,4]. In the following sections, we introduce a methodology for service user involvement in public service development and evaluation that is established based on empirical research in the Nordic Welfare State: The BIKVA methodology1 [5-8]. A recent impact study determined that the BIKVA methodology has been utilized in more than 500 evaluation and development projects across Northern Europe [9]. The purpose of this model introduction is to provide scholars and practitioners with a step-by-step methodology to service user involvement in public service development, innovation, and evaluation. A methodology that can facilitate organizational learning and capacity building in public organizations [10]. Our goal is to increase awareness of the methodology and its practical potential for generating impact in relation to an increased awareness of a service user-oriented agenda in a public sector beyond the Nordic Welfare State.