Digital transformations in public welfare services: risks and benefits of digital co-production

Digital technologies have the potential to transform public services by enabling digital co-production. This paper presents an illustrative case study set in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Services (Nav) to explore how these transformations can be conceptualized and theorized. The study contributes by building an integrative framework that can be used to guide research and decision-making on digital co-production across diverse public service sectors. The framework explicates the underlying dilemmas, benefits and risks – and, consequently, the value conflicts and trade-offs involved in digital transformations centred on co-production of services.