Customer Participation in Public Services: Co-production of Services

Abstract

The topic of customer participation in the provision of public services, paying special attention to customer
and provider co-production of the service, is examined in the article. The concepts of customer participation in
the delivery of public services and co-production of services are discussed in the article. It is aimed to reveal
the relevance of co-production in the public sector; also the trends of research of the phenomenon are discussed.
Since the co-production of services is in a sense active customer participation in public services, the
concept of customer participation in public services, demonstrating the place of co-production in it, is discussed
first. Further, co-production of services is analysed, different approaches towards it are presented, the main
related dimensions: citizenship, individual and collective participation, long-term relationships with customers,
produced value of services are analysed in the article as well. In conclusion the links between co-production of
services and the modernisation of delivery of public services are discussed.