How public leaders can promote public value through co-creation

Governance researchers are increasingly interested in how co-creation can contribute to promoting public value contemporary liberal democracies. While many have already argued for the potential benefits of employing government strategies aiming enhance value, few considered implications such a strategy leadership. Drawing on recent strands theory leadership and management, we specify leaders use as tool achieve policy goals, illustrate this specification by showing politicians non-profit managers perform co-created Gentofte, Denmark Minneapolis‒St Paul, USA. The main proposition is that kind does not only involve strategic effort engage, inspire mobilise actors with relevant governance assets – including legitimacy, authority capabilities but also align their understandings what valuable public.