What really is co-production?
Is it always voluntary?
If the public has no choice but to act to help, or to to along with government, is that voluntary or is that survival? If a citizen chooses drugs and crime to the point where government has to intervene, is that voluntary co-production? If a supervisor is lazy or incompetent, and the subordinate has to pick up the slack, is that voluntary? If the subordinate chooses to not help, to allow the supervisor to fail is that co-production, or will the failure lead to co-production and re-production?
Who is Driving the Train?
It seems that government drives the train in the co-production theory; however, isn’t the government reacting to the actions/inaction of the citizens? When government is forced to act, to save people because they chose to ignore government’s early warnings, that is no longer co-production and becomes a “forced” unilateral action to save a community/ecosystem.
Where do we draw the line between voluntary and involuntary, between forced and unforced, and between benevolence and guilt-driven actions?
It seems that if we see from the lens of one end of the spectrum, all voluntary actions are benevolent and unforced, while the other end means action that is no longer voluntary and must be performed to preserve both the government and the citizen.
Is it co-production when the citizen is taxed when – income is earned, when income is spent, and when income is saved?
It seems normal to be taxed, but normal does not make it right. Or is it?
What is the alternative if transactions are not taxed? How would the global economy thrive?
Is it co-production when government is forced to plan a budget to help the destitute? Does laziness merit an increase in government in spending?
What is the definition of laziness? 50% effort all of the time, 75% effort on Mondays, or 99% effort based on corporate transactional metrics?
Government spends more on its citizens than the citizens can ever pay back. Or are the citizens spending more than government?
The infrastructure in one area of the country that is built or improved can increase the volume of trade in another area. For instance, a better road system in California can get goods and services faster to Arizona residents who did not pay to build or improve the road.
Is that co-production?
What if Arizona did not want California’s goods and services? What if Arizona built its own farms and factories without California?
Is that taking away the potential to benefit from coopetition?
Copyright Leonard Casiple 2023. Updated 2024. All rights reserved.
About the author: Leo Casiple is a first-generation American who grew up in Southern Philippines under martial law. He spent much of his 21-year career in the US Army as a Green Beret.
Leo is currently a doctoral student at Northeastern University’s Doctor of Law and Policy program (2022–2025 Cohort). He earned his education from California Lutheran University (MPPA), ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA in Global Management), Excelsior University (BS in Liberal Arts, Ethnic and Area Studies), Academy of Competitive Intelligence (Master of Competitive Intelligence™), Defense Language Institute and Foreign Language Center (18-month Arabic Language Course), and the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (Special Forces Qualification Course and Psychological Operations Specialist Course).
For more information about the author, click here: Leo’s LinkedIn Profile