Cooperatives as a Tool for Coproduction: A model for stakeholder engagement to strengthen home and community care

Abstract

In response to rising demand for health and social services due to population aging and increased government austerity, interest in community-based service provision has grown. Effective community-based support for care recipients and informal caregivers allows individuals needing assistance with activities of daily living to be cared for at home and in the community as long as possible, thus avoiding costly institutionalization. Understanding which community-based service models provide effective and efficient personal support services can inform policy making, funding and contracting practices to strengthen the capacity of public health and social service systems. Coproduction is a term used to describe such pluralistic, cooperative and participatory working relationships between citizens, governments, and other stakeholders in public service provision. Previous studies suggest that coproduction can increase the quantity and improve the quality of public service provision by mobilizing underused community strengths and resources. As a model which can potentially increase the capacity of public health and social service systems to meet the growing care needs, the concept of coproduction will be explored further through case studies of cooperatives providing home and community care servcies in Japan. Through literature review and first-hand accounts garnered from interviews, the case studies will present two cooperatives that both add value to their services through the voluntary mutual support activities of their members. The case studies will be analyzed to illustrate that cooperatives can be a tool for coproduction, used to mobilize and sustain stakeholder engagement to strengthen home and community care.



Author Information
Tania Dowhaniuk, Meiji University, Japan

Paper Information
Conference: AGen2016
Stream: Aging and Gerontology

This paper is part of the AGen2016 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon