From Formal Compliance to Public Value: Integrating Universal Design into Public Governance for Practical Inclusion

The evolution of public administration represents a transition from the efficiency-driven models of New Public Management toward the collaborative paradigm of Public Value Management, requiring Universal Design to serve as a strategic mechanism for authentic social inclusion rather than a mere technical compliance checklist. To investigate the underlying systemic barriers, this study employs a mixed-methods design based on data triangulation: the quantitative axis utilizes 2025 open-access data from the state-managed Buildings Accessibility Monitoring Information System, evaluating 4,692 public facilities, while the qualitative axis examines an original national institutional survey (n = 65) and targeted focus groups with national policymakers, major cities, and regional municipalities. Triangulation reveals a systemic alignment deficit: 51.9% of public buildings remain completely inaccessible, 43.9% comply only partially, and a mere 4.2% are fully adapted. Qualitative analysis identifies a hierarchical disparity - national institutions frequently resort to procedural "mock accessibility" to satisfy formal audits, while regional implementation remains paralyzed by systemic resource deficits, inflexible regulations, and a conceptual misunderstanding of Universal Design. The study proposes a collaborative public service framework based on Public Value Management - early stakeholder involvement, user-experience-based evaluation, and institutionalization of Universal Design as horizontal public service logic for genuine public value creation.