The co-production of public services and the public policy articulation: the phenomenon of organic waste management in a southern Brazilian city

This paper is part of an ongoing doctoral thesis research that seeks to answer the following question: How is the phenomenon of organic waste management in the city of Florianópolis characterized as part of a public policy of... [ view full abstract ]

This paper is part of an ongoing doctoral thesis research that seeks to answer the following question: How is the phenomenon of organic waste management in the city of Florianópolis characterized as part of a public policy of coproducing services? Organic waste management in this city in southern Brazil, draws attention to several aspects. The history of the last 30 years of projects involving waste management in the city highlighted the city's great capacity to carry out actions under the socio-environmental context. Parallel to this, the context of multi sectoral complex environmentalism contextualizes socio-environmental policies in the last decades. It is also based on the concepts of co-production of public services, as a strategy of action that considers the citizen in its multiple dimensions and as participant of a multicentric and politically articulated society, that in summary, bring the economic, social, political and environmental values added to the co-productive activity as a result of the co-production. In addition, they bring the concept of co-commissioning services, which can be realized through: co-planning of the policy; co-prioritization of services; and co-financing of services. In order to achieve the desired objectives, a qualitative research is being developed that uses theoretical and interpretative assumptions and structures in order to address the meanings that the actors attribute to a social problem. For this, combinations of data collection methods are used, in which the study and analysis of the data happen in a complex way through the deductive and inductive way. It is a phenomenological research, it is considered the most appropriate type of approach because it seeks to understand several experiences of a common phenomenon or shared by individuals. Was used: documental analysis, observations in places where the phenomenon occurs and is discussed, in its practical aspects and in its ideological movements and discussion forums. The results so far point to the articulations of this social phenomenon, and the co-production of public services as a useful tool for the development of public policies, with certain political and environmental adaptations. Such research proves to be relevant to the international community because of the constant need for co-production theories to be empirically tested, as well as to recognize an empirical application in the reality of developing countries and the perspective of participatory development of public policies in these realities.