Co-Creation and Enhanced Youth Participation in Local Decision-Making: The Perception of Public Sector Readiness

• Authors: Inga Narbutaite Aflaki , Maarja Hallik , Kenneth Nordberg , Kadri Kangro

Abstracts

EN

The reverted demographic pyramid makes youth a decreasing percentage of our increasingly ageing population, leaving youth groups with less power and chances to influence the future of public policies and services through established participation channels. There is a potential risk of losing the interests of broader, including less heard, youth groups in democratic decision-making and implementation. Research evidence shows that we need to broaden knowledge and accountability towards these groups by including them more in co-creation to secure their trust and meaningful policy impact. One major way to improve trust in the public sector is by enhancing the abilities of professionals, managers, politicians and NGOs to co-create public and individual values with youth groups for better services and solutions instead of acting and making decisions on their behalf. Also, cross-sector collaboration among institutional units or stakeholders from different sectors on a local scale is often required to enhance the value of services or local community decisions. This paper explores from a comparative perspective the local government’s readiness for enhanced democratic participation and co-creation of public services and public value with youth. Based on document studies, interviews and cross-sectoral learning dialogues between engaged researchers, public sector and NGO representatives conducted in three countries – Sweden, Finland, and Estonia – the paper illustrates the current perceptions of public professionals and managers regarding their approach to co-creation with youth and the public sector roles, readiness and perceived gaps. The paper distinguishes between the municipal ambitions of enhanced youth participation and co-creation.

Keywords

EN

co-creation readiness; youth participation; dialogues; deliberation

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek
• Journal: Polish Political Science Yearbook
• Year: 2023
• Issue: Specjalny
• Pages: 55-68

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Inga Narbutaite Aflaki

• Karlstad University

• https://orcid.org/0000000304135028

author

Maarja Hallik

• Tallinn University

• https://orcid.org/0000000285358102

author

Kenneth Nordberg

• Åbo Akademi University

• https://orcid.org/0000000200731503

author

Kadri Kangro

• Tallinn University

• https://orcid.org/0000000225827034

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Identifiers

DOI

10.15804/ppsy202353

Biblioteka Nauki

21379494