Simply put, public value is a correlate of private value, which is measured by shareholder return. Think of citizens as shareholders in how their tax is spent. The value may be created through economic prosperity, social cohesion or cultural development. Ultimately, the value — such as better services, enhanced trust or social capital, or social problems diminished or avoided — is decided by the citizen. Citizens do this through the democratic process, not just at the ballot box, but through taking part in local authority consultations and surveys, for example. Citizens’ involvement as coproducers of services, taking responsibility for improving what the outcomes look like, for example being healthier, more law abiding and so on, is critical to the creation of public value. Public managers and politicians, as the custodians of public money, are thus accountable for how well money is spent, allocated and invested.