Causal maps to create or destroy public values? An empirical study in three municipalities in France
Résumé
The fact that causal maps can be useful tools to create public value has been proved by Eden and Ackermann (2014). However, we found no precision about which kind of public values can be created thanks to causal maps. The paradigm shift of Public Value Governance offers yet a rich opportunity to improve a long-term vision of public. That’s why this article ambitions to explore the potential of causal maps to create public values. With the help of the seven public values constellations identified by Jorgensen and Bozeman (2007), and based on an empirical case study in three different municipalities, we highlight unexpected effects of the use of causal maps (Eden, Ackermann, and Cropper 1992; Eden and Ackermann 2013, 2014; Ibrahim and Larsson 2017). Not only are causal maps a tool for debate and a way of creating values, but they are also a tool which destroy some other values.