Hester Paanakker

values in Dutch and Danish job advertisements from 1966 to 2008, that the value of merit, also verbalized as expertise or professionalism, ‘is and continues to be the most important selection criteria, but the meaning of merit explodes in several directions’ (2014, p. 59). Pollitt (2003, pp. 134-135) also explicitly identifies ‘professional values’ as a main category but restricts its meaning primarily to the singular interpretation of impartiality. In a similar vein, numerous studies mention ‘professionalism’ or ‘expertise’ as one value amongst many (Beck Jørgensen & Bozeman, 2007; Huberts, 2014; Trommel, 2018; Van der Wal, 2008; Van der Wal &Huberts, 2008; Van der Wal & Yang, 2015). Definitions, again, typically delineate this value as ‘acting in line with professional codes and standards’ (Huberts, 2014, p. 213) or ‘act[ing] with competence, skill and knowledge’ (Van der Wal & Yang, 2015, p. 418), indicating that many different types of (sub) values may fit under this broad umbrella. None of these studies reveal what is precisely entailed by those interpretations of professionalism, or, to put it differently, what exactly qualifies as public craftsmanship. 2.4 Studying Public Craftsmanship Value Convergence As argued, many public values studies focus on detecting, mapping and classifying public values, for instance in elaborate literature reviews, large civil servant surveys, or by means of case studies of their role in public—private partnerships (Beck Jørgensen & Bozeman, 2007; Reynaers, 2014b; Van der Wal, Nabatchi, & De Graaf, 2015; Yang & Van der Wal, 2014). A smaller sample of studies concentrates on identifying and explaining value differences, most notably between public and private sector logics, between administrative morals in different countries, or a combination of both (De Graaf & Van Der Wal, 2008; Jelovac, Van Der Wal, & Jelovac, 2011; Van der Wal, 2008; Van der Wal & Yang, 2015; Yang, 2016). Gradually, research on value differences is expanding to include more qualitative work on differences or conflicts between values themselves, and how public officials cope with conflicting value sets in their daily work practice (De Graaf et al., 2016; De Graaf & Paanakker, 2015; Koppenjan, Charles, & Ryan, 2008; Steenhuisen & van Eeten, 2008). In an empirical article on organizational values of Dutch government ministries and semi-autonomous executive agencies, Van Thiel and Van der Wal (2010) discuss differences within the public sector, juxtaposing very different types of organizations. In-depth research on value differences within more homogenous groups of public officials, and down professional lines of public craftsmanship, is scarce. 42 Chapter 2