CO-PRODUCTION

Towards a new welfare model

In the search for balance it is not

so much what the government
can do, it is about what we can do
collectively. What we can do together.
And that means bringing together
the authority of the state and our
collective capacity of doing things
and our shared responsibility for
results. So we are all in it together.
Jocelyne Bourgon, Author and President, Canada School of Public Service

Preface

PREFACE
When organising public services, how do we best make use of all
the resources that the wider society can provide? How do we ensure
collaboration with all the actors who can potentially make a contribution
to the challenges we face?

As public authorities, we can achieve this by no longer imagining that we

are providing individuals and society with something. Instead, we must
take a close look at the specific behaviours, experiences and resources
which characterise the citizen or company, and then identify which actors
and endeavours already exist in their proximity. We refer to the result of this
process as co-production: i.e. when we design and organise public services
together with citizens rather than deliver public services to them.
Co-production is not a new concept. The term was originally used by
Nobel Prize-winning political scientist Elinor Ostrom over thirty years ago.
But the time is now right to re-discover and adapt it to the realities of the
twenty-first century. Over the past year, we at MindLab have been working
towards a better understanding of what co-production means, and of the
potential opportunities, dilemmas and challenges this approach brings to
public organisations. We have investigated what is required to help people
suffering from dementia in Fredensborg municipality and looked at ways
of rethinking efforts aimed at special needs pupils on the small island of
Langeland. We have also made use of the approach in our partnerships with
(amongst others) the National Board of Industrial Injuries and the Danish
Business Authority. Since co-production is not just a Danish trend, we have
also looked at how others are working with co-production internationally.

For example, we have worked in partnership with the respected British

think tank Nesta and found inspiring examples of how public authorities
worldwide have made use of the approach.
When we first looked at co-production as a concept, we were unaware of
how strong the trend was becoming. Recently, however, public organisations
both at home and abroad have increasingly focused on how best to activate
the resources of citizens and others, in their efforts to achieve more, better
and if possible cheaper outcomes. It seems evident that co-production
will be a central theme in future public reform initiatives.
Taking MindLabs own project work and research as our starting point, we
have identified three principles that encapsulate the core concepts of a
successful co-production. You can read about them here. We will examine the
principles, give concrete examples of public development projects, and shed
light on the most significant challenges associated with working towards coproduction. First and foremost, a change of attitude among public managers
and staff is required. It takes determination and courage to pave the way
for new types of partnerships with citizens, businesses and with all the
resources that are part of their everyday routines. Such partnerships require
new professional skills, major investments and often leads to loss of direct
control over how tasks are carried out.
We have become convinced that co-production can lead to better solutions
and a more effective utilisation of our sparse public resources. So there is
every reason to get started!

Christian Bason
Director of Innovation, MindLab

Definition

WHAT IS
CO-PRODUCTION?
Public institutions are not the only actors that influence the extent to which
a child who speaks another language at home learns proper Danish, or
whether someone who has suffered an industrial injury is able to go back
to work. On the contrary, public authorities are always dependent on the
interactions between many different participants if they are to achieve their
objectives.
When shifting to co-production, this interaction is the starting point. This
could involve contacting the former employer of a person who has suffered
an industrial injury or the relevant municipality or insurance company in
question when trying to get the individual back into the labour market.
It might mean involving the parents of the child who speaks a different
language at home, like Aarhus Municipality did when they developed their
language suitcase, which is a tool to aid the linguistic development of preschool children.
Success in co-production requires an awareness of other actors who
are already making a contribution to carrying out the tasks set by public
authorities, and of the fact that there may well be even more participants
who have the potential to contribute. This requires public organisations to
plan their activities based on strategic considerations of which types of
partnerships with citizens, relatives and organisations can have the greatest
positive impact.
Co-production must be taken literally. We are to produce better outcomes
together. Traditional self-service or simply leaving the job to volunteers or
private individuals is not necessarily co-production. Instead, we must find
ways of involving the citizen, volunteers and many other participants in
public sector solutions.

Definition

THREE PRINCIPLES FOR

CO-PRODUCTION

1.
Redefine the task

2.
Organise and build resources

3.
Create platforms

11

The three principles

Principle 1:

REDEFINE THE TASK

Better quality of life for people and families living with dementia, or more
people returning to work following industrial injuries are important public
sector objectives. However, the route to success may involve different
methods than those used at the moment and may involve other participants
than those we had imagined. A redefinition of the task is an essential part of
working towards successful co-production. It requires raising fundamental
questions such as: Which outcomes do we want to achieve in both the short
and long term? Which participants should be involved? Which activities are
most appropriate?
Indeed, co-production is not simply a question of getting citizens to
perform the same tasks as were previously done by public sector staff and
thus effectively providing a poorer service. It is about daring to implement
a fundamentally different way of getting the job done a solution that
highlights new ways of achieving the desired outcome.

13

Redefine the task

Case: The National Board of Industrial Injuries in Denmark

Focus on retention
One of the biggest challenges for citizens who have suffered an industrial
injury is to remain in work. The National Board of Industrial Injuries in
Denmark (ASK) therefore established a Retention Centre in 2008, as part of
a change of strategy: ASK had previously concentrated its efforts on making
sure the maximum possible number of people who had suffered industrial
injuries were given a quick ruling in their case. In the future they would also
focus on keeping those who had suffered an industrial injury in the labour
market. This is a significant change of strategy the kind that requires a
positive attitude to change, not only internally at ASK, but also among the
participants who have a role to play in industrial injury compensation cases,
such as municipalities, insurance companies, trade unions and professional
organisations. Those who have suffered an industrial injury must also
become involved in resolving their own situation. If injured workers lack
motivation or belief in their own abilities, it is extremely difficult to help
them retain their job. In this instance, co-production requires a new type of
relationship between ASK, other authorities and participants and with the
individual citizen.
Employees at the Retention Centre are currently working on integrating
the many different aspects of cases involving those who have suffered an
industrial injury. They hold roundtable discussions where the person who has
suffered an industrial injury can meet with their employer, trade union and
municipal case worker to find long-term solutions. They have established
a partnership with municipalities for parallel and more rapid processing of
cases, and they have a particular focus on making interim decisions, so that
citizens are able to move on quickly.
The Retention Centre is currently collaborating with over 70 of the 98
municipalities in Denmark.

When you listen to those who have

suffered an industrial injury, it
suddenly becomes all too apparent
why all participants need to work
together. If those who have suffered
an industrial injury are to continue
to have a job after their injury,
then this is not a matter that can
be resolved by public authorities in
isolation. It requires the involvement
of considerably more participants.
Steen stergaard, Head of Division,
the National Board of Industrial Injuries in Denmark
15

Redefine the task

Case: Fredensborg Municipality

Support for citizens with

dementia and their relatives

It can be taxing and stressful to be the relative of someone suffering from

dementia. Family members often have a strong desire to support their loved
ones but no idea how best to go about it.
When MindLab assisted Fredensborg Municipality in rethinking efforts
aimed at its citizens with dementia, a new initiative focusing on the role of
the relatives was therefore adopted. The objective was still to provide those
with dementia with maximum quality of life, but the task was redefined to
focus on how adult children or spouses could actively support them, while
the Municipality also provided support to directly assist the relative. In the
future, resources will not just be used on carers who have direct contact with
dementia sufferers, but also on employing staff who specialise in training
and supporting relatives. Fredensborg Municipality is currently developing
these ideas further as part of an initiative to establish a larger care centre
for citizens living with dementia.

During our joint project with

MindLab, we became aware that
much of what we were already doing,
in terms of getting other actors
involved, could be improved through
a more systematic and strategic
approach. We noticed a great deal of
potential that
however required different
working practices.
Susanne Samuelsen, Deputy Director, Fredensborg Municipality

17

Redefine the task

Area for attention:

NEW PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

AT PLAY

When redefining a task to enable co-production, new professional skills

must often be brought into play. For instance, it may be necessary to broaden
employees skills so they can perform new work functions. This requires
attention towards the particular contributions made by various professional
skills, and how they can be adopted in a different and more effective way. At
ASK, for example, it is now considered important for case workers to be able
to give someone who has suffered an industrial injury a sense of belief in
their future in the labour market, or to convince an employer to give a former
employee another chance. Working with co-production therefore requires a
close partnership with professional staff, while at the same time constantly
asking whether other professional skills are necessary or whether employees
should be trained to take on new tasks.

19

Redefine the task

International experience: Singapore

From prison guards

to advisers

Singapore faced massive problems with overcrowded prisons, rising costs

and the fact that more and more people fell back into crime after being
released from prison.
The Singapore Prison Service therefore decided to focus on rehabilitation
and strengthening inmates ability to leave crime behind, instead of only
being concerned with prison security.
The prisons therefore restructured their internal organisation. Where
inmates had previously been rotated between different job functions as
much as possible, an attempt was made to create longer term relationships
between inmates and employees. The employees shifted away from the role
as prison guards and began to function as mentors and advisers. At the
same time, resources were invested in educating family members and other
relatives in how best to help inmates once they came out of prison. At the
central level, interest groups and representatives from the administration
were brought together to increase collaboration. The rehabilitation of
prisoners required the ability to see beyond the system and budget of the
individual institution.
The project took place over a ten-year period, and in the course of that
time it was possible to reduce the number of prisoners who were reconvicted
from 45 per cent to only 27 per cent today.

21

De 3 principper

The three principles

Principle 2:

ORGANISE AND BUILD

RESOURCES

When you look at your organisations mission from an outside-in perspective,

it becomes clear that the public sector is only a small part of a much bigger
picture that constitutes a citizens life or the realities of running a business.
Citizens, businesses and their surroundings have resources at their disposal
capable of meeting challenges other than those that can be dealt with by
public institutions. The coach from the local football club may have new
approaches to working with a child with special needs, in the same way as
parents are often of primary importance when a child is developing language
skills.
When embarking on co-production, these resources are mapped out
and integrated with efforts made by the public sector. Co-production is not
simply a question of leaving public service delivery to others. Rather, it is a
systematic investment in the organisation, tools and capabilities of other
contributors to enable them to carry out new or different tasks.

23

Organise and build resources

Case: Langeland Municipality

Assistance in the inclusion

of pupils with special needs

On Langeland we are actually quite

accustomed to helping each other
out. This inclusion project provided
new ideas about how we can think
through all of the childrens needs in
a far more strategic way.
Anne Marie Hedegrd, Manager of Centre for Prevention,
Langeland Municipality

Just like many other places in Denmark, Langlands use of resources

for special needs education has increased significantly in recent years.
Langeland Municipality wanted to do something about it. This was not just
about saving money, but about getting better educational outcomes. Studies
have shown that it is difficult for those who have attended special schools
to complete a youth education programme. The most recent research also
indicates that pupils both with and without special needs benefit from
sharing a classroom. Therefore, Langeland Municipality wanted to explore
whether the numerous resources that were being invested in special needs
education could be put to better use, while continuing to satisfy the need for
extra attention required by children with special needs.
In partnership with MindLab, employees of Langeland Municipality,
teachers and heads at rsted School investigated how resources in the local
community could be incorporated and used to contribute to enabling fewer
pupils with special needs to be taken out of normal schooling.

It became apparent that the inclusion of pupils with special needs was not
just a question of what was going on in class, but also of how the pupils were
coping outside of school. During extracurricular activities, for example, there
were many individuals who would be pleased to help these children, but who
did not know how best to go about it.
The study showed that Langeland was able to draw on the benefits of being
a small, yet strong, local community. The sports and leisure clubs could, for
example, be better equipped to deal with the physically energetic children
who might later end up having difficulties at school. By investing in skills
development for family members and volunteers, Langeland Municipality
will be better able to help challenged pupils in their spare time, while also
providing important opportunities for learning and building self-confidence.
Langeland Municipality is currently furthering its work on these ideas as
part of its focus on the inclusion of pupils with special needs.

25

Organise and build resources

Case: Aarhus Municipality

A suitcase full of language

In Denmark, many children for whom Danish is a second language start

school with uncertain Danish language skills. This represents a major
challenge that is difficult to resolve without involving the childs family or
supporting the childs Danish language skills development before she starts
school.
In partnership with Aarhus University and KREVI, the Municipal and
Regional Evaluation Institute, Aarhus Municipality has developed a language
suitcase that is aimed at parents of children attending the Municipalitys
kindergartens and for whom Danish is a second language. The language
suitcase provides parents with real tools they can use to talk to and read
together with their children. The suitcase includes childrens books, a game
and an instructive DVD. The nurses at the childrens day care institutions
present the suitcase to parents and guide them in how the family can use it
at home. Employees in child care are also given their own identical suitcase
so that parallel endeavours can be made both in the day care institution and
at home.
The results of the suitcase campaign illustrate that co-production has
had a very positive effect for children with poor Danish skills. Whereas 6.7
per cent of the group of children in the control group had to commence their
schooling in an intensive Danish language class, parents use of the language
suitcases reduced the number of children who had to attend the class to 0.7
per cent after the first year.

One of the biggest aha-moments

in the project is that parents who,
despite not being able to speak
Danish themselves, are able to
support the development of their
childs Danish language skills,
provided they are given the right
tools for the job.
Catharina Ilene Damgaard, Deputy Manager of Education and Integration,
Children & Youth, Aarhus Municipality
27

Organise and build resources

Area for attention:

CROSS-CUT TING INVESTMENTS

If resources are to be exploited better it is often necessary to make direct
investments to bring new contributors on board and equip them with relevant
tools and skills. This requires a different way of thinking across public
authorities and departments/sectors. Sometimes one public agency must
pay for an investment where the benefits will be reaped by a completely
different authority. In other instances, this investment will not be repaid until
a number of years down the line. Establishing successful co-production
requires the determination to think transversally and to invest more in longterm outcomes.

29

Organise and build resources

International experiences: Adelaide, Australia

Family by Family

Socially at-risk families living in Adelaide, Australia, are able to access help
from other families with similar experiences. The Local Authoritys family
administration collaborates with the independent organisation TACSI to
invest in a mentoring network for families in crisis. The idea is based on the
observation that some families are in fact positive deviants: they have a
similar socio-economic background, history, etc. to the at-risk families, but
they do very well despite the odds. Those who have been able to break the
mould can act as a source of inspiration and as a resource for families who
are in trouble. Connecting the positive deviant families with families at risk
via a mentoring programme has proven to be an effective way of generating
positive developments. The Australians report that many of the chaotic
families have broken the negative patterns and that some are now even
able to become mentors for others. For the same cost as removing one child
a year, the Family by Family programme is able to help approximately 200
families thrive again.

31

The three principles

Principle 3:

CREATE PLATFORMS

Public sector organisations do not always need to provide all aspects of a

service themselves. They can instead act as platforms for other actors who
may have different and better approaches to getting the job done.
The public institution thus makes a radical shift from providing welfare
services to increasingly adopting a coordinating and supporting role for a
number of different contributors. The public authority can choose both to
be part of and to support existing platforms, whilst also exploiting its unique
insight and resources to develop completely new and effective partnerships.
When services are partly conducted outside the public sector, the public
organisation retains a significant role as a knowledge base and active
facilitator.

33

Create platforms

Case: The Danish Business Authority

A platform for joint public

and private sector innovation

The Danish Government has sought to promote public-private innovation

(PPI), whereby public authorities and private companies collaborate to
create innovative solutions. The vision is that such solutions meet the needs
of the public sector, and that new products or services can create growth for
the private companies. Consequently, the Danish Business Authority (ERST)
asked MindLab to develop a guide for private sector employees showing
them how to initiate and drive PPI collaborations. However it rapidly became
evident that the field was too new to warrant discussions on real bestpractices . Instead, ERST wanted those who were working in the field to be
able to share their experiences, so as to collaboratively develop the nextpractices of the future. The solution was a website on which practitioners
can exchange ideas with one another and source knowledge from the
authorities responsible for legislation. The authorities are simultaneously
involved with the site so that future policy initiatives quickly can take new
learning from practical experience into consideration. The project is still in
its start-up phase and has also shown how difficult it can be for authorities
to assume a proactive role in the management and operation of a networkbased platform for collaboration across sectors. This requires the authority
not only to provide a finished product, but also to continue to engage with
the partners who are co-developing the field. Rather than come up with the
solution to the challenges, the public sector operates as a platform upon
which the field is constantly emerging.

We were dealing with such a new

field that existing methods of
researching and communicating
best practices were not possible.
We had to think about how we could
create a platform on which the
relevant actors could jointly structure
their activities. This was a new role
for us as an authority.
Christian Bruhn Rieper, Head of Division,
the Danish Business Authority
35

Create platforms

Case: The National Labour Market Authority (AMS)

Digital mentoring programme

for the unemployed
It is not necessarily job centres, courses for job seekers and other traditional
employment initiatives that bring most people out of joblessness and into
employment. The Danish Association of Lawyers and Economists (DJF)
carried out a study of 700 newly-qualified employed academics which
showed that making use of networks and personal contacts was a much more
effective way of finding a job: Less than half of newly-qualified academics
used traditional job-hunting methods to find a job. Consequently, the
National Labour Market Authority (AMS) wanted to examine the possibility
of supplementing traditional employment initiatives with a digital mentoring
programme based on voluntary help. The idea was that a digital mentoring
website could connect unemployed people with voluntary mentors who
wanted to help them find employment.
However, MindLabs research among potential users showed that for such
a model to be succesful, it is necessary to invest in the mentors and mentees
abilities to help each other. Experience from other mentoring schemes
illustrates, for example, that the mentor and mentee need help to formulate
clear goals for the mentoring process. A small investment in equipping the
mentor for the mentor role may also be important for the mentors ability to
help the unemployed get closer to obtaining a job. This is particularly true
in situations where the mentor is to help unemployed people with special
needs, such as individuals with mental health problems.
A digital mentoring programme implies a different role for AMS, which
must evolve from being an expert in traditional employment initiatives
to building a platform on which others can come together and bring the
unemployed closer to a job.

As the project progressed, we

became increasingly interested in
what was required to support the
digital matching process and how
best to find appropriate mentors. It
is important to us that the match
provides the best possible value
for both the unemployed and the
mentors, so they jointly can bring the
unemployed closer to a job.
Anette Larsen, Head of Section, Agency for Retention and Recruitment

37

Create platforms

Area for attention:

Leaving responsibility
behind

When an activity is placed completely or partially in the hands of other actors,

the public sector also loses some of its control over its implementation.
Public organisations may, for example, need to take into account that
contributors on the new platform may question the political agenda. How to
ensure that the advice and guidance originating from the platform is always
in line with current legislation and political considerations? The trick here
is for public authorities to find the right level of control over the services it
facilitates. One option is to team up with partners who can take on some of
the responsibility for assessment and quality assurance, which the public
sector was previously responsible for. For example, when a digital platform
is developed to create a link between a job seeker and a mentor who would
like to help, the authority must take into account how the platform should be
designed in order to protect the mentee against bad advice or even against
advice that is contrary to applicable legislation.

39

Create platforms

International experiences: Washington D.C., USA

Youth Court

In a socially marginalised area of Washington D.C., half of the AfricanAmerican population aged under 35 years was either incarcerated or on
parole. This prompted a so-called Youth Court to be set up, in which 80 per
cent of young first-time-offenders are cross-examined and then sentenced
by their peers - young people who have previously been convicted. The
sentences involve various types of community service and require the firsttime offenders themselves to participate as judges in the Youth Court. The
underlying idea is to create a youth judiciary that not only passes sentences,
but also engages the youngsters as spokespeople for good behaviour. With
Youth Court it turned out that previously convicted young people are often
more competent than professional judges when it comes to differentiating
between hard-core young criminals and those who have just messed up
but are otherwise good enough. The model has achieved good results in
Washington D.C. Only nine percent of young people sentenced by the Youth
Court end up re-offending, compared with 20 percent for other programmes.

41

Sources

SOURCES
Bourgon
Jocelyne:

Boyle, David;
Coote, Anna;
Sherwood, Chris;
Slay, Julia:

Boyle, David;
Harris, Michael:

Curtis, Carolyn et al.:

Jakobsen, Morten:

Mandag Morgen:

Youth Court of the

District of Columbia:

A New Synthesis of
Public Administration

Queens School of Policy

Studies, McGill-Queens
University Press, 2011.

Co-production: Right
here, Right now

Nesta & nef, July 2010.

The Challenge of
co-production

Nesta & nef, December

2009.

Family by Family
Evaluation Report
2011-12

TASCI, Community
Matters Pty Ltd, 2012.

Organisatorisk
support og
samproduktionEt eksperimentelt
studie af
styringsstrategier
i den offentlige
uddannelsessektor

Forlaget politica, 2011.

Den aktive borger

Huset Mandag Morgen

A/S, 2012

youthcourtofdc.org/

43

MindLab
Slotsholmsgade 12
1216 Copenhagen K
Denmark
info@mind-lab.dk
www.mind-lab.dk/en
Text:
Christian Bason
Johanne Mygind
Runa Sabroe
Design & photography:
Anette Vring
Caroline Arvidsson
Paper:
Munken Polar 90g./130g./300g.
Printing:
ReklameTryk, Herning
MindLab 2013

45

www.mind-lab.dk/en
47