Market stewardship of quasi‐markets by street level bureaucrats: The role of local area coordinators in the Australian personalisation system

Abstract

With the rise in popularity of market-based responses to social policy challenges, the stewardship of quasi-markets or public service markets, is a key concern for governments worldwide. Debates about how to manage quasi-markets have focussed on high-level decision-making processes. However local actors, in particular street level bureaucrats, are a key part of the complex work of managing quasi-markets. We examine how street level bureaucrats act as local market stewards in a new quasi-market for disability care, the Australian National Disability Insurance scheme. We find that the street level bureaucrats, known as local area coordinators, act as shapers of local markets but that their contributions are informal and often restricted by formal structures and processes. For example, we found evidence that the use of key performance indicators can disrupt effective local stewardship efforts towards a procedural approach. We conclude that introducing principles of the polycentric governance approach can improve connections between local market knowledge holders and central decision-making agencies, thereby improving market stewardship and outcomes.

Flexibility in individual funding schemes: How well did Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme support remote learning for students with disability during COVID‐19?

“…Such a finding points to the importance of high‐quality advocacy to support individuals to navigate the scheme. The NDIS was designed with Local Area Coordinators playing an important role in undertaking this function, although in the implementation of the scheme these individuals have become more involved in creating plans than undertaking this type of role (Malbon & Carey, 2020). Moreover, governments have substantially cut funding to disability advocacy organizations since the introduction of the NDIS (Innes, 2015).…”

Administering inequality? The National Disability Insurance Scheme and administrative burdens on individuals

“…Gaining services from the NDIS Once deemed eligible, NDIS participants undertake a planning meeting. Planning meetings are done either in person or over the phone, with a wide range of actors -from NDIA planners, systems as to Local Area Coordinators to other scheme coordinators depending on location and availability of NDIA planners at the time (Malbon & Carey, 2021;NDIA, 2018). In these meetings, participants set goals with the planner and decide upon necessary supports for achieving them.…”

How personalisation programs are exacerbating socio-economic inequities: findings from budget utilisation in the NDIS

“…While the issue of budget underspend and what is occurring in low-socio-economic areas requires more detailed investigation, there are some shifts to the administrative structures of the NDIS that could be undertaken based on the data presented in this article. The NDIS has a position known as 'local area coordinators' (Malbon and Carey, 2020;Productivity Commission, 2011). Local area coordinators meet face-to-face with NDIS participants both at the planning stage and, once the budget is approved, to help participants implement these their budgets and access services.…”

“…Local area coordinators meet face-to-face with NDIS participants both at the planning stage and, once the budget is approved, to help participants implement these their budgets and access services. As a result of pressure in the roll out of the scheme, local area coordinators have been pulled away from implementation work to focus on planning work Malbon and Carey, 2020). The have been calls from government reviews, as well as academics studying the scheme, to reinstate the local area coordinator position as one that provides an interface between participants and the service providers, in order to help budget utilisation (Malbon and Carey, 2020;Tune, 2019).…”

“…As a result of pressure in the roll out of the scheme, local area coordinators have been pulled away from implementation work to focus on planning work Malbon and Carey, 2020). The have been calls from government reviews, as well as academics studying the scheme, to reinstate the local area coordinator position as one that provides an interface between participants and the service providers, in order to help budget utilisation (Malbon and Carey, 2020;Tune, 2019). The fact that people in low socio-economic areas area struggling to utilise their NDIS budgets puts renewed emphasis on these calls.…”