Mark Moore from the Kennedy School of Government brought the concept of public value to the fore. It is starting to exercise the minds of government and think tanks on both sides of the Atlantic. Democracy according to Abe Lincoln is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Is it then possible to have decision making by the people? How do the public value the various initiatives at the moment.
Public Value seeks to engage people in the decisions that impact their lives. It looks at how decisions are made to benefit people. Any spending or policy should maximise what people see as value to them. Most governments tend to take the view that they know what is right for people. This suggests that governments know better than us. Public value looks at how the public can become involved in the decision making process so that they understand the dilemmas facing public sector decision makers.
So why is public value gaining favour. There is a bigger push for localised and decentralised decision making. One size does not fit all. If the public gets involved in local decision making there is the option of democracy working better. Politicians and governments realise that the public does not engage with the governing process other than at elections. Get us involved and we might feel better about how our contributions to taxes etc.
Sceptics will say this is another talking shop. If Public value is to work it is more than inputs, outputs and processes. There must be discernible outcomes. A simple example might be safety and security. The input might be more police and output reduction in crime statistics. However, if people do not feel any safer then is having more police good public value? On the other hand more visible policing with the same number might make us feel safer. The public will place a higher value on this. This is going to be rolled out across much of the US and UK.
This is the next big thing in government. We wait to see how this unfolds.
