ABSTRACT

Public value continues to capture the attention of policy theorists as it provides unique insights into the accommodations public managers do and do not make when considering citizen perspectives. However, the concept is currently constrained by its emphasis on the consideration of a single public and the need to find consensus on values. This article considers the search for a unified theory of public value in complex and pluralistic settings against the inherent tensions exemplified in three policy areas – Indigenous policy, gambling policy and school education. It argues that rather than seeking a unified conception, a more productive approach is to accommodate alternative positions, including the notion of multiple publics by embracing agonistic ideas of difference.

摘要

公共价值继续吸引政策理论家的注意力，因为它提供了对公共管理者在考虑公民观点时所做和不做的调整的独特见解。然而，该概念目前受到其强调考虑单一公众以及需要就价值观达成共识的限制。本文考虑在复杂和多元化的环境中寻找统一的公共价值理论，以对抗三个政策领域——土著政策、赌博政策和学校教育——所体现的内在张力。它认为，与其寻求统一的概念，更富有成效的方法是适应不同的立场，包括通过接受差异的对抗性思想来实现多重公众的概念。