000			02449cam a2200181 4500500
005			20250112055805.0
041			_afre
042			_adc
100	1	0	_aTuurnas, Sanna _eauthor
700	1	0	_a Stenvall, Jari _eauthor
700	1	0	_a Rannisto, Pasi-Heikki _eauthor
245	0	0	_aThe impact of co-production on frontline accountability: the case of the conciliation service
260			_c2016.
500			_a8
520			_aMixing of roles between professionals, volunteers and service users creates a new, complex environment in which to produce and deliver public services. In this kind of environment, the issues of accountability become ever more important. This article presents a qualitative case study of co-production between volunteers and professionals in the legally regulated restorative justice services in Finland. Theoretically, we draw together the concept of citizen co-production with the literature on street-level bureaucracy and accountability. As a result of the study, we can say that co-production between volunteers and professionals increases accountability ties. In particular, the meaning of process-centred accountability is salient in horizontal accountability relations. Thus, co-production as a governance arrangement changes the working culture of public service professionals. In the new partnerships, although not entirely horizontal, we can recognize a seed for cultural change for professionalized public service organizations.Points for practitionersIn this article we have researched co-production between professionals and volunteers in a legally regulated public service, the conciliation service, examining the perceptions of accountability in the frontline practices. The results show that the process-centred nature of the co-produced services leaves less room for discretion and the application of rules by individual street-level workers. Furthermore, as the service users do not consider volunteers to be part of the authority, co-production might be smoother. This is significant especially in the social services, where the clients per se are not necessarily motivated to co-produce, but where co-production would be essential for achieving effective service outcomes.
786	0		_nInternational Review of Administrative Sciences | 82 | 1 | 2016-03-16 | p. 143-160 | 0303-965X
856	4	1	_uhttps://shs.cairn.info/journal-international-review-of-administrative-sciences-2016-1-page-143?lang=en
999			_c220181 _d220181