Public Values in Pluralistic and Complex Settings – Are Agonistic Ideas the Answer?

Public value continues to capture the attention of policy theorists as it provides unique insights into the accommodations public managers do and do not make when considering citizen perspectives. However, the concept is currently constrained by its emphasis on the consideration of a single public and the need to find consensus on values. This article considers the search for a unified theory of public value in complex and pluralistic settings against the inherent tensions exemplified in three policy areas – Indigenous policy, gambling policy and school education. It argues that rather than seeking a unified conception, a more productive approach is to accommodate alternative positions, including the notion of multiple publics by embracing agonistic ideas of difference.