ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the potential contribution of collective action in making co-production more sustainable in the provision of public services, particularly of enduring welfare services. Co-production is a social innovation that promotes a mix of public service agents and citizens/users who contribute to the provision of a public service. Mancur Olson argued that small groups have a privileged position by virtue of their size, because their members can easily monitor each other's behavior and contribution to a common project. Organizational size has long been recognized as an important aspect of participation. Group size is also important for understanding collective action. Size is one of several structural variables that Elinor Ostrom deemed important for overcoming collective action problems. The chapter presents some additional structural variables identified by research as relevant for co-production. They include the nature of the service, organizational diversity, group dynamics in self-help groups and a dialog between the staff and clients.
