Ana Staševičienė

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Shifting municipal disability services from new public management efficiency frameworks to public value management collaborative networks is essential to align local governance with human rights standards. This study aims to examine how formal rules, administrative routines, and stakeholder participation arrangements associated with Universal Design and Public Value Management evolved in local governance. Examining the Vilnius City Municipality (1999–2025) through a longitudinal single-case design, this study adapts the sector awareness framework to analyze a multi-source qualitative corpus of 122 administrative documents and participant observations from 52 working group sessions. The empirical analysis maps a non-linear institutional transition across five distinct phases, revealing a structural shift from terminology-level denial (the official use of "invalid" until 2017) to public value management-oriented integration in non-physical domains (cultural funding criteria requiring easy language in 2024). The findings demonstrate that while universal design functions as a practical mechanism to operationalize public value management, its implementation remains fragmented and constrained by a rigid "tick-box" compliance culture that privileges physical infrastructure over informational and cognitive accessibility. Furthermore, co-creation is obstructed by deeply rooted power asymmetries that position non-governmental organizations as passive funding seekers rather than equal strategic partners with binding decision-making authority. Ultimately, the study shows that sustainable public value management implementation depends on relationship-oriented metrics, formalized power-sharing safeguards, and the institutionalization of permanent, cross-sectoral participatory channels.

Acknowledgment
The author would like to express sincere gratitude to Agota Giedrė Raišienė, doctoral research supervisor, for valuable guidance, constructive comments, and continuous support throughout the preparation of this article.
The author wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the Vilnius City Municipality for providing access to the administrative documents and the Legal Acts Portal. Special thanks are extended to the 22 members of the Universal Design Working Group for their participation and insights.