Co-production, the ‘core economy’ and community planning

Dr. John Barry

Queens University Belfast

j.barry@qub.ac.uk

Basic co-ordinating institutions of human society

(Nation)-State – 300-400 years

Market – ‘truck and barter’ (c.12,000 years/settled agriculture), modern industrial/capitalist economy (c.250 years)

Community – since we evolved as a species of homo sapiens (c.50,000 years)

Co-production and the core economy

Distinguishing between ‘employment’ and work/labour – not all socially necessary labour is monetised i.e. is not formally paid employment (public or private);

The ‘hidden’ economy upon which the formal (public and private sector) economy is based;

Different terms – ‘core economy’, ‘convivial economy’ ‘informal economy’, ‘social economy’ – not all same but all gesture towards productive labour/activity that is beyond the public/state and private/market economy

The economy from a different perspective

Co-production: what is it?

“Co-production means delivering public services in an equal and reciprocal relationship between professionals, people using services, their families and their neighbours. Where activities are co-produced in this way, both services and neighbourhoods become far more effective agents of change.”

new economics foundation

“The involvement of citizens in the delivery of public services to achieve outcomes, which depend at least partly on their own behaviour and the assets and resources they bring” (Boviard, 2012)

Asset backed community development and empowerment

Every person and every community is of value and has something to contribute.

The task for statutory agencies is to work with people and communities to identify and build on the assets they have, helping them to set their goals and aspirations and assisting them to achieve them.

Genuine partnership working

Assets=Resources=Strengths

Financial – money, credit, savings; Buildings – schools, church halls, roads; Social – kith & kin, community, trust, networks of support; Tools/equipment, books. IT, etc. TIME!! Personal – health & well being, education, experience,

skills, motivation, self esteem; Natural – environment, energy, natural resources,

greenspaces; Political – influence, power, active citizenship;

Access is not equal, there are barriers beyond individual control

Beyond orthodox economic thinking

Because GDP measures only monetary transactions related to the production of goods and services, it is based on an incomplete picture the human economy.

The human economy is a sub-system of larger social networks and ecosystem

A co-production perspective offer a more complete picture of how the human economic system fits within the social and environmental systems upon which it depends

By including the non-monetary social (and very often gendered) context of core economic activity

The ‘Core Economy’ and Quality of life

Beyond GDP and conventional economic measurements

Measuring what matters

GDP/economic growth does not distinguish between positive and negative economic activity (judged in terms of human well-being)

Core economy helps support relationships and social capital and in that process helps better public services

Community planning and the core economy

Community planning: Opportunity for ‘asset backed’ community development

Asset mapping – what are the capacities, skills, etc. of the community?

Co-production

‘Values the capacity, skills, knowledge connections and potential in a community… sees citizens and communities as co-producers of health and well being (and) instead of doing things for people shares power and helps a community to do things for itself’

(Improvement and Development Agency, 2010)

Building on people’s existing capabilities: altering the delivery model and mindset within public services from a ‘deficit’ approach to one that provides opportunities to develop people’s capabilities at an individual and community level;

People as ‘active citizens’: and neither passive consumers or rate/tax payers and also co-production and community planning as ways to repoliticise and democratise public services;

Valuing and promoting active citizenship (sometimes oppositional) as a form of ‘caring/care labour’ for democracy

Reciprocity, transparency and mutuality: offering people a range of incentives to engage which enable reciprocal relationships with professionals and with each other, where there are mutual responsibilities, agreed expectations and greater degrees of transparency and communication

Co-production and community planning

Co-production and community planning

Partnership between statutory and non-statutory organisations: relations of equality, respect and mutual learning and sharing.

Experts/professionals – ‘on tap not on top’: as facilitators of community change not drivers of it

Importance of trust and partnership – not wasting people’s time and energy, beyond passive consultation on service delivery towards genuine and demonstrable participation and co-decision-making

Creating resilient and empowered communities

Conclusion

Co-production and community planning: from ‘no taxation without representation’ to

‘no taxation/public service provision without participation’?

Some resources

Co-production practioners’ network: www.coproductionnetwork.com

New economics foundation: http://www.neweconomics.org/