How does digital technology impact on the co-production of local services? Evidence from a childcare experience

By combining the academic literature on public administration and public management with that on human–computer interaction, this paper contributes discussions about how digital technology can support the co-creation of public value in co-production activities. The authors examine two case studies of participatory requirements elicitation for a technology used to support childcare services. Digital technology was intended to satisfy ‘ancillary values’, which are the values that support the main value associated with the service and that constrain how the co-production is operated. The authors’ analysis clarifies how the instrumental and the institutional roles of the technology intersect and fulfill each other. IMPACT: When designing technology to support the co-production of a public service, focusing on the functional role alone will limit the value of the exercise. This paper describes the design requirements of a digital platform for the co-creation of childcare in two different communities—a neighbourhood and a private organization. The paper will have value for anyone interested in understanding the possible impact of digital technology on co-creation of value in co-production activities for the co-design of public services.