The aim of this research is to discover the views, practices and advice of experienced employees and citizens on how co-production can promote happiness and well-being. The global challenges have led governments around the world to believe in the role of co-production in providing effective public services for citizens to increase their happiness and well-being. However, the literature of co-production as a factor for happiness and well-being has not been given much attention and remains limited or restricted to certain factors such as wealth, health and employment.
The first group consisted of employees of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) who already ran several co-production practices. The second group were the citizens who have already experienced the co-production process with the (MOI). The research revealed a strong belief in the role of co-production in increasing levels of happiness and well-being.
LIST OF APPENDICES
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
LIST OF DEFINITIONS
INTRODUCTION
- Introduction
- Research context
- Research statement
- Research aim
- Research objectives
- Research questions
- Research strategy
- Interviewees
- Secondary data
- Ethical Issues
The government has developed a strong belief in the role of co-production in providing effective public services and increasing levels of happiness and well-being in the UAE. The current thesis explores the role of co-production in enhancing happiness and well-being. The thesis examines how co-production can increase innovation and then how innovative ideas can increase the happiness and well-being of public service users in the United Arab Emirates.
The current thesis is designed to investigate the role of co-production in improving levels of happiness and well-being in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, the literature on co-production as an effective factor for happiness and well-being was limited. The question was asked to identify the challenges of co-production in the UAE.
LITERATURE REVIEW
- Public Services Delivery
- Co-production
- Definition of Co-production
- Emergence of Co-production
- How is co-production work?
- Factors of co-production
- Benefits of co-production
- Co-production in the UAE
- Challenges of co-production
- Happiness
- Definition of Happiness
- How can happiness be measured?
- Happiness Factors
- Sustainability through Happiness
- Wellbeing
- Definition of wellbeing
- Dimensions of wellbeing
- Subjective Well-Being Theory (SWB)
- Positive Psychology
- Happiness and wellbeing in the UAE
- Conclusion
- Summary
These assets are recognized by co-production, which are beneficial to people's happiness and well-being. According to Bovaird (2007), co-production is "the provision of services through regular, long-term relationships between professional service providers (in any sector) and service users or other members of society, where all parties make significant resource contributions" (p. 847). Innovation is also “the process of equipping oneself with new, improved capabilities or increased utility” (Gunday et al. 2011, p.662).
One of the results of co-production is the empowerment of citizens, empowerment as a process refers to "the development and implementation of mechanisms that allow individuals or groups to gain control, develop skills and test knowledge, and empowerment as an outcome refers to the affective state in which an individual or group considers , that they have increased control, greater understanding, and are involved and active" (Harrison and Waite. Empowerment in co-production is related to "the ability of individual service users to control their public service experience and contribute to their own desired outcomes." (Osborne & Strokosch, 2013, S38) The UAE government believes in the role of co-production in improving public service delivery and promoting well-being.
The framework is an iterative approach to achieving sustainable community development called "the sustainability through happiness framework. Supporting and connecting with others is a skill that can be developed that is the best antidote to "the downs" of the life is considered.
CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW
Governments worldwide strive for a high level of economic success, happiness and well-being, while at the same time being environmentally responsible. Traditional public administration (PA) is based on hierarchy, bureaucracy, control and well-defined rules. The shift to a more positive approach to psychology has resulted in a greater emphasis on the positive aspects of existence, which in turn has had an effect on ideas of happiness and well-being.
These questions have led researchers to further investigate the determinants of happiness and well-being. Brulde (2007) asserts that people's quality of life is related to their current state of happiness. The Happiness Report (2015) showed that there is a use of happiness data and happiness research by governments around the world to enable people to live better.
The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recognized that their success will be judged by their efforts to improve the happiness and well-being of citizens. In February 2016, the UAE government announced a new ministry called the Ministry of Happiness. Early literature has shown that there is a direct relationship between happiness and certain factors such as income, health care, education, housing and unemployment (Florida, Mellander & Rentfrow 2013).
However, limited studies have examined the relationship between happiness and co-production in the public sector. The thesis proposes co-production as a factor that would increase happiness and well-being through the significant impact of innovative ideas that co-production can generate. According to Woiceshyn and Eriksson (2014), happiness and innovation are two important aspects that play an important role in society for both policy makers and social actors.
In conclusion, this chapter presents an overview of the conceptual overview of co-production and how it can be an effective factor for happiness and well-being within communities, which will ultimately reflect on the performance of public organizations.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- Overview
- Research Questions
- Research Approach
- Research Philosophy
- Ontology
- Epistemology
- Axiology
- Research Design
- Research Strategy
- Quality of research finding
- Data Collection Instrument
- Sampling
- Interview protocol
- Data Analysis
- Pilot study
- Interviews questions
- Employees’ questions
- Citizens’ questions
- Ethical Considerations
- Conclusion
Research approach mainly depends on the nature of the research problem, or the issue addressed in the study. The role of co-production in promoting happiness and well-being will be analyzed through the view of the participants as experts. This helps the researcher to have a better understanding of the problem, which opens the researcher up to possible changes in the direction of the research process.
The second is interpretive epistemology - this is based on the assumption that the researcher must be involved in the context of the research on the phenomenon and to discover realities. Reliability in qualitative research refers to the exact reliability of the processes and results of a specific study. The results can thus be generalized in terms of the importance of co-production as a factor of happiness and well-being.
The researcher got the list of participants who already participated in the co-production process from the MOI because they have the details of the required sample and they know who. The researcher identifies himself to the participants and informs them about the objectives of the research and confidentiality of the research. Pertinent information is highlighted in the text format to move to the next step of the qualitative data analysis process.
The main aim of the current research is to investigate the role of co-production in increasing the levels of happiness and well-being within communities and their role in sustainable development of. Through the answers, the researcher acknowledged that it is necessary to adjust some questions to meet the purpose of the study. To what extent are employees and citizens aware of the role of co-production.
First, the researcher got the permission letter from the Minister of the Interior to explain the purpose of the research.
RESULTS AND FINDING ANALYSIS
- Research participants
- Interviewees details .1 Gender
- Ages
- Years of experiences
- Geographical distribution
- Nationalities
- Data Analysis – Citizens/Customers .1 Understanding about co-production
- UAE government strategy of engaging the public in service delivery
- Factors for happiness and wellbeing
- Impact of engagement on happiness and wellbeing
- Benefits of co-production for organizations and the citizens
- Impact of co-production on sustainable public service
- Impact of happiness with co-production on future engagement
- Motivation to join co-production
- Skills required for co-production
- Barriers to implementation of co-production
- Data Analysis Report – Employees
- Understanding about co-production
- UAE government strategy practices about engaging the public in service delivery The analysis of the data revealed that employees’ opinion regarding UAE government strategy
- Organizational initiatives for engaging stakeholders in service provision
- Factors for happiness and well-being
- Employees’ opinion about engaging citizens in service designing and delivering can enhance their happiness and wellbeing
- Benefits of co-production
- Impact of Co-production on sustainable service delivery
- Impact of citizen satisfaction with co-production on their future engagement
- Role of Leadership to support co-production in the organizations
- Strategies to motivate individuals for co-production
- Specific skills required for co-production
- Barriers to implementation of co-production
The ninth initial code for this theme is "solving challenges facing public service delivery". One of the participants shared,. The third starting code for this topic is "citizen's first". The UAE government puts citizens first. The first starting code for this topic is "responsibility". Co-production results in joint responsibility between the consumer and the producer.
The eleventh starting code for this theme is "learning from each other." One participant said: "Organization and. The thirteenth initial code for this theme is 'training'. Training through specialization is also a motivating factor. The tenth initial code for this theme is 'lack of trust'. Lack of trust is the main co-production barrier."
The third initial code for this theme is "sense of belonging." Co-production leads to a sense of belonging among customers. The eighth initial code for this theme is "sustainable policymaking." Co-production also leads to sustainability. The second initial code for this theme is "efficient performance." Co-production generates high efficient performance.
The ninth initial code for this theme is "stakeholder accountability." One of the participants shared: "Yes. The third initial code for this theme is "encouraging employees to take care of the customers.". The sixth initial code for this theme is "follow best practice and standard in service management.".
The third initial code for this theme is "high workload." Heavy workloads also become a hindrance. The fifth initial code for this theme is "lack of flexibility". The lack of flexibility also hinders the implementation of co-productions. The fourteenth initial code for this topic is "vague design and goal of co-production projects.".
DISCUSSION
- Theoretical implications
- Awareness about co-production and strategies toward co-production
- Awareness of citizens
- Awareness of employees
- Effective factors of happiness and wellbeing
- Sociality
- Health
- Wealth
- Workplace environment
- Co-production as factor of happiness and well-being
- Effective factors of co-production
What are the factors that can spread the culture of co-production and motivate the co-production process. The results of the interviews conducted with the citizens show that they have a high level of awareness about co-production and its benefits. The innovative elements of the results of the interviews with the participants highlight the empowering capabilities of co-production.
It also enables a more general understanding of the role of co-production in improving the level of happiness and well-being of society. C12 agreed that co-production is "a very necessary approach to the development of public services and the promotion of public happiness and well-being". In addition, the results of the research show that most of the citizens are aware of the efforts of the UAE government towards co-production.
One of the citizens interviewed mentioned a practice that presents real co-production between police and society. Methodologically, the results illustrate co-production as an initiative that can help deliver effective services to citizens. The study complemented the results-oriented approach to co-production in the UAE, as employees agreed that the managers in the UAE.
In addition, the employees recognize the role of management within the MOI in improving the co-production process. Moreover, the results show that employees believe in the role of co-production to improve the well-being within the UAE. The finding indicated that co-production is an effective factor that can promote happiness and well-being.
The adaptation of the co-production as a happiness factor is expressed in different terms such as (participation, contribution, involvement, involvement, knowledge sharing, etc.).
