POLS1102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Satisficing
Lecture 10 - Street-Level Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is about implementation
policies are distorted when they are implemented
goes through multiple communities of actors, and is modified each time
Street-level bureaucrats = agents with the power change policy
should public servants break rules in order to help people in need?
street-level bureaucrat = public service workers who interact directly with citizens in the
course of their jobs, and who have substantial discretion in the execution of their work
e.g. police officers, teachers, etc.
they are the implementers of policy
occupy a unique position of power
they have discretion and autonomy
we tend to think that policy is created centrally, but it is in fact recreated at the front-line
via street-level bureaucrats
Gaps therefore exist between central policy and local reality
policy is a complex chain of multiple actors at different locations
can result in inconsistencies
e.g. fire brigade flood response example - station on one side of the highway will
mobilise but the one on the other side won’t
Why is policy changed?
complex dilemmas and contradictions
sometimes policy doesn’t work
central policymakers don’t understand local context
Local actors have little spare capacity
commitments to a profession rather than a government (e.g. doctors)
commitment to clients and citizens (e.g. social workers)
Commitment to norms and values beyond policy (e.g. judges)
Self-interest - strikes and political bargaining
Coping strategies to get through the day - to satisfice
Document Summary
Bureaucracy is about implementation policies are distorted when they are implemented goes through multiple communities of actors, and is modified each time. Why is policy changed? complex dilemmas and contradictions sometimes policy doesn"t work central policymakers don"t understand local context. Local actors have little spare capacity commitments to a profession rather than a government (e. g. doctors) commitment to clients and citizens (e. g. social workers) Commitment to norms and values beyond policy (e. g. judges) Procedures are designed to treat everyone fairly and consistently. Discretion can be seen as a participatory democratic virtue through the compassion and humanity of citizen-agents, rather than state-agents, at an individual level. Street-level decisions + actions are guided by beliefs and norms rather than rules citizen to citizen compassion - a form of participation which is at heart democratic because it is inclusive. Compassion, empathy, + emotions in service delivery strips away the state-agent identity and replaces it with a citizen-agent identity.
