ABSTRACT
Public Service Logic (PSL) is premised on the idea that public policy is a ‘service’ promise or an aspiration to create value. A public policy to address the mental health needs of a society, for example, must address what these needs are and what services are required to address these needs. Just as in home decoration, the success of a PSL approach to public services delivery is ‘all in the preparation’. The study of citizen motivations for value creation in public services is, at present, embryonic. The issues of trust and power are similarly fundamental to creating the capacity for value creation/co-creation in public service delivery. A strategic approach to value creation/co-creation requires public service managers to address this power dynamic directly, which can confront the existing power bases and expectations of public service professionals, as well as the impact of socio-economic power imbalances.
