Co-production: Do we know what it is and what it achieves?

Guest blogger Elinor Findlay, Office of the Chief Social Policy Adviser, Scottish Government, discusses our understanding of 'co-production', an increasingly popular term used in policy design and in response to the challenges associated with public sector reform. But, what is it? What does it mean for how services are designed and delivered? And, what does it mean for people and communities, and how they engage with each other and with services? And – an important question for me as a researcher – what evidence is there of its benefits and impact?