Public Value in Public Service Ecosystems

Abstract

This article conceptualizes public value and develops a conceptual framework for understanding the nature of public value in public service ecosystems. So far, the conceptualization and research of public value, and its nature in the context of public service ecosystems is incoherent and scant. The theoretical development of this article occurs within the theoretical foundations of service ecosystems, public value, service dominant logic, and public service dominant logic. It bridges the theoretical domains of value and service ecosystem research between the public and private sector research. It proposes a framework for characterizing the nature of public value at different levels of a public service ecosystem. The main theoretical contribution of this paper is the further conceptualization of public value and its characterization in the context of public service ecosystems. The article makes articulated propositions and provides novel theories for understanding and analyzing public value and public service ecosystems relevant for researchers, public managers, and policymakers of this field.