ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that public value is a concept with considerable potential for understanding and improving leadership, management and organization in society. It outlines the wider conception of public value as a key part of creating, using and sustaining a democratic public sphere. The chapter explores how public value relates to nearby concepts like ‘public goods’ and ‘public interest’, the significance of ‘creating the public’ in public value, and why it is a “game-changer” for the fields of leadership and public management. The police rural crime team aimed to consult, inform, involve and provide reassurance to the public, which was re-prioritised by this police force as a key public outcome of their work. The small police rural crime team was seen as having re-established legitimacy in that they demonstrated to rural residents that they understood rural issues and listened to and addressed the concerns of sometimes isolated families.
