Citizen Participation in the Coproduction of Urban Services

Abstract

Citizen coproduction is the productive involvement urban residents can supply to the provision of city services. This article introduces the symposium on citizen coproduction of urban services by tracing the concepts and arguments in the coproduction literature. Definitions of coproduction are reviewed, along with propositions that relate citizen coproduction to outcomes such as effectiveness, efficiency, and responsiveness. Also considered are impediments to the implementation of coproduction programs related to urban service delivery. This article also introduces the other articles in this symposium.