What Works Scotland and the Scottish Co-Production Network presented the launch of the book ‘Designing public policy for co-production: Theory, practice and change’, by Catherine Durose, University of Birmingham, and Liz Richardson, University of Manchester.
This important book is a response to crises of public policy. Offering an original contribution to a growing debate, the authors argue that traditional technocratic ways of designing policy are inadequate to cope with increasingly complex challenges, and suggest co-production as a more democratic alternative.
Drawing on 12 compelling international contributions from practitioners, policy makers, activists and actively engaged academics, ideas of power are used to explore how genuine democratic involvement in the policy process from those outside the elites of politics can shape society for the better.
Author Dr Catherine Durose is one of the most innovative thinkers and practitioners working on public policy and co-production in the UK. She is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Local Government Studies, and Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer, School of Government and Society University of Birmingham.
Two ‘keynote readers’ from the public and third sectors gave their reflections on the book at the event. They were:
- Hilda Campbell, chief executive officer, COPE Scotland
- Elinor Mitchell, Head of the Public Service Reform Division, Scottish Government
The event was hosted by Oliver Escobar from What Works Scotland.
Date: 14 March 2016
Location: Edinburgh
