New Forms of Welfare: Relational Welfare, Second Welfare, Co-production

Abstract

This chapter offers a more comprehensive framework for the heterogeneous scenario of public-interest services by briefly outlining the emergence of new forms of welfare that deal with greater citizen involvement. This is a global trend, occurring essentially because of austerity measures that push governments to deliver more value while reigning in expenditure. One possible solution is based on the idea of co-producing services with citizens: the theories of relational welfare, open welfare and second welfare build specifically on the fundamental concept of co-production. The idea of citizen involvement in the provision of public services is then transferred to more extensive participation in government activities, briefly outlining the theories of the entrepreneurial state, the partner state, and the P2P state. Finally, some criticisms are highlighted, in spite of the many enthusiastic voices surrounding this topic: citizen involvement can be understood as form of empowerment, but also as a form of ‘exploitation’ in which governments relinquish their responsibility, causing a dismantling of the welfare state, thus, launching a call for further research into this complex issue.