Local Coproduction of Services and the Analysis of Municipal Productivity

Abstract

This article examines local coproduction of services as an approach to enhancement of municipal productivity. Coproduction programs are analyzed with respect to three models of productivity: (1) cost efficiency, the effect of changes in service inputs on the outputs of service delivery; (2) cost effectiveness, comparison of alternative service delivery arrangements with respect to cost and quality and/or quantity of outputs achieved; and (3) program worthiness, evaluation of service delivery programs according to legal, moral, or political criteria. The analysis suggests that the addition of citizens to the production of services can increase cost efficiency in municipal government. However, large mass-volunteer programs that aim to replace a sizable portion of the public work force with citizen labor are unlikely to offer a cost-effective alternative. From the perspective of program worthiness, although coproduction programs confront pragmatic problems of political acceptance and challenges to service equity, they may enhance democratic values in urban governance.