Administration &Society, Ahead of Print.
Co-production is intended to co-create public value. This article analyzes how co-producers address the tensions that arise among the various dimensions of public value. The article builds on the theory of coping strategies to examine individuals’ coping behaviors. Two urban mobility planning cases are studied in depth. This study finds that co-producers experience various tensions between public value dimensions. Furthermore, co-producers cope with the tensions both according to balancing strategies and trade-off strategies, preferring one value dimension over the other. In addition, the empirical evidence provides examples of circumstances, such as communication, in which a balancing exercise is enhanced.