Measuring public value: scale development and construct validation

The public value concept is highly popular among practitioners and researchers, yet, to further test and develop the construct it needs more diversity in empirical research. We aim to contribute to future empirical public value research by providing a new public value scale based on Meynhardt’s conceptualization of public value. Conducting two empirical surveys with highly representative samples, we have developed and validated a twelve-item public value scale. Additionally, we applied the scale to empirically test what distinguishes public value from adjacent constructs, such as CSR or reputation, and to examine its explanatory power regarding important client/customer outcomes. The scale will allow future research to test extant public value hypotheses more thoroughly than before by using survey or experimental research designs. Practitioners can use the scale to gain a deeper understanding of public evaluation.