Exploring relationships between coproduction and service user outcomes: value creation in a coproduced youth employment programme

Coproduction is seen as a mechanism for generating public value. Research has focused on coproduction’s conceptualisation and implementation, whereas less is known about the benefits to individuals of involvement in coproduction activities. This paper adds to an emerging body of work examining the outcomes of participation in coproduction for individuals. It draws on the conceptual ideas of value-in-production, value-in-use and value-in-context (Osborne et al., 2022) to examine value creation at the individual-level. Longitudinal quantitative data on young people involved in the coproduction of the Talent Match employment programme in England is used to test the hypothesis that service users involved in coproduction achieve better outcomes than those who are not involved. The findings suggest individuals gained value from coproduction, by expanding their skill set and improving their wellbeing, although this did not translate into improved employment outcomes compared to their peers. In viewing coproduction within a wider ecosystem of value-creation processes, claims made of the transformative effects of coproduction for services and service users are tempered.