Research Republic

A report published by The Work Foundation in association with Research Republic, 'Public Value, Citizen Expectations and User Commitment', has been extensively cited in the Trades Union Council's pamphlet 'Rethinking Public Service Reform: The "public value" alternative'. The paper is the second in a series designed to bring a trade union voice to debates over public policy. The TUC discusses the shortcomings of market-led public service reform, arguing that the value created by the public sector "cannot simply be reduced to financial profit and loss". It suggests that an approach to reform based on public value, in which strategies for delivery of services are developed through democratic engagement between providers and users, has benefits for the democratic legitimacy, responsiveness, appropriateness and fair distribution of services, particularly in a time of scarce resources.