ABSTRACT
The idea of co-producing and self-organizing public services has penetrated the discourse of politicians and civil servants in all kinds of policy areas, such as energy, urban development and care. Due to an ageing population, the demand for care services is rising and the preservation of the welfare state in its current form is under pressure. By transferring a part of former public service delivery to citizens, welfare delivery should become a more explicit and stronger form of co-production of care professionals and citizens. After years of rising government expenditures, professionalization and privatization, increasing attention is being paid to codifying and institutionalizing the role of citizens in the care process. Government frames citizens as partners in the delivery of welfare services and frames the role of regular care providers as complementary and supportive to the role of citizens. In the care sector co-production in both the design and implementation of services has become an increasingly important theme.
