<i>‘Underlying the core principles of liberal democracies lies an important assumption about the authority of ordinary people to not only consent to be governed, but to make active and lasting contributions to addressing collective problems through “co-creation.” This volume takes an important and nuanced look at the role of co-creation in light of democratic forms of authority, and the essential opportunities needed to ensure effective public, democratic governance for a new age.’</i>

- Christopher Koliba, University of Kansas, US,

<i>‘Recent years have seen much emphasis placed on co-creation as one of the most promising approaches to address so-called wicked problems and generate – in the words of the authors – “new and bold public value outcomes”. This book critically acknowledges that such potentials often clash with a variety of obstacles, including resistance by public officials still influenced by the competing demands of old and new public governance paradigms, and the tensions and conflicts that inevitably arise during multi-actor collaborative processes. Even more importantly, the authors offer theoretical insights and practical advice on how these difficulties might be taken into account and managed, for instance through certain institutional design and leadership choices, so that the promises of co-creation will have a higher likelihood to be fulfilled.’</i>

- Benedetta Trivellato, University of Milano – Bicocca, Italy,

<i>‘This book contributes to the important discussion on how public officials can engage in co-creation. In linking the analysis of co-creation to the construction of hybrid forms of governance, it makes an important step in the academic debate.’</i>

- Taco Brandsen, Radboud University, the Netherlands,