Invulnerability as Public Value: A Micro-level Approach for Public Value Creation, Implementation, and Evaluation

The chapter’s central argument is for enhancements to public value planning and decision-making that occurs at the street level. These enhancements include strategies that place a keen emphasis on the vulnerabilities of each citizen, and the incorporation of concepts like intersectionality and equity. The discussion outlines key elements that are missing from the public value equation, provides definitions for relevant concepts, and outlines the details of a proposal for change. Some of the proposed changes are subtle, but they are important to how we create, implement, and evaluate public value. The proposed changes include a shift in the administrator’s motivation and approach to citizen involvement in the creation of public value, the inclusion of vulnerability scorecards in both the goalsetting process and the implementation of public value goals, and the alignment of planning for public value with traditional planning logics. Aspects of the proposal will be illustrated by way of a real-world example which is the implementation of the COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments.