Public Value in Action

The book Public Value in Action. Co-Creation Strategies for Sustainable and Inclusive Governance presents ten peer-reviewed chapters developed by early-career scholars who have been confronted with an important issue: how public institutions, non-profit organizations, private actors, and international organizations create — or at times destroy — public value through collaboration. By combining theoretical reflections with systematic literature reviews, case studies, and network analyses, it examines cocreation dynamics across various sectors, including social services, local utilities, healthcare, higher education, and inner-area development.
The chapters address a variety of themes such as NGOs’ stakeholder networks; public value in local utilities; ESG integration into public-sector risk management; sustainability in healthcare; the relationship between NPM-inspired performance auditing and public value; public value in international institutions; value co-creation in public-nonprofit partnerships; public-value-oriented performance management in universities; reverse innovation; and dynamic performance governance for marginalised territories.
Overall, the volume highlights the central role of collaborative governance, stakeholder involvement, and service co-design in addressing complex societal problems; however, it also identifies risks of fragmentation, value destruction, and limited stakeholder integration. Drawing on the fresh perspectives and rigorous analyses of young scholars, the book aims to provide analytical tools and conceptual insights for scholars and practitioners interested in sustainable and inclusive ways to create public value.