Prelims

Half Title Page

Public Value Co-Creation

Endorsement

‘Alessandro Sancino’s new book offers thought-provoking discussions on several key concepts in public management, especially on public value and the actors involved in creating it’.

Taco Brandsen, Professor of Public Administration at Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and President of EMES International Research Network

‘Alessandro Sancino’s book is a remarkable and much-needed synthesis of the multiple literatures related to public value co-creation. For those of us trying to find our way in this field that is crucial for the future of liberal democracies, the book is an invaluable guide to navigation for purposes of research, teaching and service’.

John M. Bryson, McKnight Presidential Professor Emeritus, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, USA

‘This book is a really valuable contribution to the new literature on co-created public value creation for two reasons. First, it moves beyond the narrow perspective of public values as something that the public sector produces alone or by occasionally involving private actors by pointing out that public value is produced in all corners of society and that a public sector that aims to mobilize society and enabling place-based co-creation stand much better chance of contributing a strong and well-functioning society. Second, the book offers much-needed guidance for public managers who aspire to take on this task’.

Eva Sørensen, Professor in Public Administration and Democracy, Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde School of Governance, Roskilde University, Denmark

‘Sancino's book is an insightful contribution to the public value theory for at least three reasons: firstly, because it proposes a circular framework. Actually citizens know better than anyone else their needs and the right services. Secondly, because the co-creation is analyzed in different interdependent phases. Thirdly, because it adopts the complexity lens. Turbulent environments, multilevel and multiagent relations require “disruptive innovation” in theory and practice’.

Elio Borgonovi, Emeritus Professor of Public and Healthcare Management, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy

‘Alessandro Sancino's fascinating book highlights the essential role of multi-sector collaboration in the co-creation of public value, exploring the role that different actors play including the key role of civic and community led action in enabling place-based change. It provides practical insights into different theories, models and case studies from across the world. This book is an invaluable guide for academics, students and practitioners, including those who work in the public, private and community sectors’.

Lorraine Hudson, Associate Lecturer in the School of Engineering and Innovation at The Open University and previously Director of Bristol Living Lab, Knowle West Media Centre, UK

‘I thank Alessandro Sancino for providing an innovative definition of the modern public manager, who is asked in this historical moment to be a true “civil servant”, capable of generating community development together with the other societal actors. Studies like this represent a fundamental stimulus for those who work in the public administration in close contact with the needs but also with the resources that the community does have. A precise vision rich in suggestions that must be part of the permanent training of public managers’.

Michele Bertola, City Manager of Bergamo and President of Italian City Management Association, Italy

‘In this very readable short volume, Alessandro Sancino makes an insightful contribution to our understanding of the changing possibilities for the future of public management. Driven by a desire to advance the cause of public purpose in changing times, his analysis will be of great interest to scholars, public servants and civic activists alike’.

Robin Hambleton, Emeritus Professor of City Leadership, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK, and Director of Urban Answers

‘Alessandro Sancino's important book has arrived at just the right time as governments, businesses, NGOs and communities grapple with the post-COVID-19, geopolitically uncertain and carbon neutral challenged world. He thoughtfully integrates diverse strands of public management research, such as collaborative governance and place-based leadership, in a manner that is both authoritative and accessible, wise and empowering. The book reveals a scholar who is reaching the peak of his capabilities; an accomplished scholar who has built his career on all-too-rare first-hand local government leadership experience. The book will be an invaluable resource for academics, policy-makers and public and private sector leaders’.

Brad Jackson, Professor of Leadership and Governance and Associate Dean, Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, New Zealand

‘Dr Alessandro Sancino's book is an important addition to the burgeoning literature on the theory and practice of public value. He draws together and develops the perspectives of academics, policymakers and managers from many different countries, focusing on three key public value themes – co-creation, civic-ness and place. Crucially, his prior experience in local government in Italy also allows him to add a distinctive “insider's” understanding of the political challenges of creating public value in contested and turbulent contexts. I have found Alessandro's book a stimulus to my own thinking and writing about the implications, for public value theory and practice, of the seismic systemic changes taking place in the ecological, political, economic, social, technological, organizational context and culture. I read it and recommend it!’

John Benington CBE, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy and Management, Warwick University Business School, UK

Title Page

Public Value Co-Creation

A Multi-Actor & Multi-Sector Perspective

By

Alessandro Sancino

The Open University, UK & University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Editorial Matter and Selection © 2022 Alessandro Sancino.

Chapters 3, 5, 6 © 2022 Alessandro Sancio.

Chapter 2 © 2022 Irene Schindele and Alessandro Sancino.

Chapter 4 © 2022 Alessandro Braga and Alessandro Sancino.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80382-962-3 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80382-961-6 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80382-963-0 (Epub)

Dedication

To the Spirit of Public Value and to my Family

List of Tables and Figures

About the Author

Alessandro Sancino is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Public Management at The Open University, UK, and at the University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy. He has published in top journals in the field of public management and is a member of the Executive Board of PUPOL (Public and Political Leadership Network) and of the RSA (Regional Studies Association) Publications Committee. Alessandro's research has been funded by several institutions, such as The College of Policing in the UK, the UK Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Netherland Institute of Government, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). In 2021 he has been awarded as one of the world best 40 under-40 years old business school professors by the prestigious Poets&Quants.

Acknowledgements

Many people have influenced my thinking and who I am as an academic, and I am indebted to all of them. Mentioning names is almost impossible and probably not right as I would probably forget somebody. It is more important that if you read this and you have worked or interacted with me, then please you should know that I am really grateful because I have certainly learned a lot from you, whatever has been the occasion.

Specifically for the writing of this book, I wish to acknowledge comments and suggestions given by Dr Alessandro Braga and Dr Irene Schindele and for working with me, respectively, for Chapter 4 and Chapter 2. I wish to thank Prof. Mariafrancesca Sicilia for suggestions to the title and for supporting me throughout the book; to Prof. Edoardo Ongaro, Dr Steven Parker, Dr Rory Shand for comments to some unpublished texts that I have written and that now in a revised form have been included in Chapter 3; to Dr Fulvio Scognamiglio for comments to Chapter 5 and to Prof. Elio Borgonovi for writing with me a conference paper in 2014 that contained some figures and some contents now included in a revised form in Chapter 5.

Thank you very much to all the staff at Emerald for supporting this project.

Needless to say, any errors or omissions in the text are mine alone.

Alessandro Sancino

Milan, April 2022