ABSTRACT

This paper is about evidencing the social value of co-produced public services. We use Mary Douglas's theory of cultural variation to frame conflicting assumptions about what kinds of information count as good and reliable. With its emphasis on active participation, equality and mutual decision-making, co-production fits what Douglas called an ‘egalitarian’ worldview. It aligns well with local, contextual, experiential forms of information such as storytelling. Yet in present-day public services, alternatives favour individual choice, hierarchical rules, or chance outcomes. It is comfortable but ineffective to share only information that meets the preferences of one worldview and fails to respond to others.

摘要

本文旨在证明共同生产的公共服务的社会价值。我们使用 Mary Douglas 的文化变异理论来构建关于哪些类型的信息被认为是好的和可靠的相互矛盾的假设。由于强调积极参与、平等和共同决策，合拍片符合道格拉斯所说的“平等主义”世界观。它与当地的、上下文相关的、体验式的信息形式（如讲故事）很好地结合在一起。然而，在当今的公共服务中，替代方案有利于个人选择、等级规则或机会结果。只分享符合一种世界观偏好的信息而不能回应其他人的信息是舒适但无效的。