The report, prepared by a team of research experts in governance and public policy from University of Lausanne –Marjan Marjanovic, Yannis Papadopoulos, Philipp Trein, Sean Mueller -examines how co-creation can be established as a core practice in multilevel governance. The authors review the relevant literature through a narrative analysis of 111 publications and clarify the role of co-creation as a tool for enhancing democratic legitimacy, policy effectiveness, and social inclusion in the context of the EU’s green and digital transitions.

A key contribution of the report is the definition and structuring of the seven-stage co-creation model, presented as an operational framework for fostering cooperation between public authorities, citizens, NGOs, businesses, and the scientific community. The proposed cycle includes: authorising and convening- discovering and framing -envisioning and prioritizing-prototyping and testing -implementing -evaluating and learning – scaling and institutionalising.

Through this model, the authors show how co-creation can evolve from isolated projects into a systemic practice. When properly implemented and backed, co-creation complements representative democracy, helps address coordination and legitimacy challenges in multilevel governance, and enhances the effectiveness of policies and services.

Read the full report here: https://recode-mlg.eu/publications/