Political Influence on Street-Level Bureaucratic Outcome: Testing the Interaction between Bureaucratic Ideology and Local Community Political Orientation

Stensöta, Helena Olofsdotter

doi:10.1093/jopart/mur062

Cited by 39 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The implementation of policies by street‐level bureaucrats is deeply affected by their own positions on the policy issues in question (i.e., their attitudes toward the given policies). This insight dates back to classic studies by Kaufman () and Lipsky () and has been confirmed by a number of more recent studies (Brehm and Gates ; Keiser and Soss ; May and Winter ; Stensöta : Tummers et al ). This poses a fundamental question about what affects the policy positions of bureaucrats.…”

supporting

confidence: 59%

“…Numerous studies have shown that the manner in which bureaucrats implement political decisions is often influenced by “opinions, values, preferences, and their own interpretations of the world” (Kaufman , 80), bureaucratic ideology (Stensöta ), and values institutionalized in standard operating procedures (Keiser and Soss ; Lipsky ), as well as by more immediate attitudes toward specific policies (Brehm and Gates ; May and Winter ). We distinguish between bureaucrats’ policy positions—that is, preferences for specific policies—and more fundamental norms, values, or ideologies.…”

Section: Bureaucrats’ Policy Positions and Communication Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Policy Positions of Bureaucrats at the Front Lines: Are They Susceptible to Strategic Communication?

Andersen

Jakobsen

2016

Public Administration Review

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It is well established that bureaucrats' implementation of policies is influenced by their own policy positions, that is, their attitudes toward the given policies. However, what affects the policy positions of bureaucrats? This article focuses on whether the policy positions of bureaucrats at the front lines of government are susceptible to frames and cues embedded in communication. Based on the notion that bureaucrats often adhere to certain professional norms when developing their attitudes toward policies, the authors hypothesize that communication frames and cues that align policies with such norms move bureaucrats' policy positions in favor of the policy. Results of four studies in European and American settings among mid-and street-level bureaucrats show support for the hypothesized effect. They also show that aligning policies with dimensions outside professional norms is ineffective, possibly even producing opposite effects. Practitioner Points• The way a new policy is presented to street-level bureaucrats and middle managers directly affects their attitudes toward the policy. • Emphasizing aspects of the policy that are in accordance with professional norms of serving clients and building policies on research-based evidence are likely to make bureaucrats more sympathetic-or less negative-toward the policy. • Emphasizing other considerations such as client satisfaction surveys and economic concerns may cause bureaucrats to be more hostile toward the policy. • Managers and other decision makers must strategically consider how they communicate about new programs and policies.

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supporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Bureaucrats’ Policy Positions and Communication Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy Positions of Bureaucrats at the Front Lines: Are They Susceptible to Strategic Communication?

Andersen

Jakobsen

2016

Public Administration Review

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“…Furthermore, signals from politicians and superiors stipulating the importance of the PoMs could be an important explanatory factor for the implementing behaviour (cf. Brewer, 2005;Riccucci, 2005;May and Winter, 2009;Stensöta, 2012). Bureaucrats' policy beliefs, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decisions at Street Level: Assessing and explaining the implementation of the European water framework directive in Sweden

Sevä

Sandström

2016

Env Pol Gov

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This study addresses the role of street-level bureaucrats in water management and examines what factors influence the implementation of the programme of measures that are part of the European Water Framework Directive. The impact of two factorsthe bureaucrats' policy understandings and their implementation resourceson implementation is examined through a qualitative case study at sub-national level in Sweden. The results verify the critical role of these bureaucrats as only one-third make decisions, or take action, based on the programme of measures. The results further suggest that the bureaucrats' understandings of how coherent the policies are, and whom they consult in cases of uncertainty, are important. The implementing bureaucrats perceive policy as coherent and have rich networks of advice, including responsible government authorities, while the nonimplementing bureaucrats experience significant policy incoherencies and have sparse advice networks. Thus, policy-makers can support implementation by adjusting policy and by improving existing, and organizing new, resources to provide these bureaucrats with guidance.

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“…The research question of interest is determining if and how years of experience 1 being a frontline worker changes behaviour: How is experience related to rule-boundedness? Tenure is sometimes considered in research on street-level bureaucracy, and occasionally tenure is included as a control variable when other factors are examined (e.g., Riccucci et al 2004;Stensöta 2012;Zhang and Musheno 2017). However, empirical research is rather limited (but see Oberfield 2010Oberfield , 2012LaFrance and Day 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Street‐level bureaucrats, rule‐following and tenure: How assessment tools are used at the front line of the public sector

Assadi

Lundin

2018

Public Administration

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Studies on street‐level bureaucracy examine actions of frontline workers within the public sector. In this literature, there is a lack of evidence on how job tenure affects how frontline workers respond to formal steering. We contribute to prior research by studying the nationwide introduction of an assessment support tool to be used by caseworkers to assess clients’ needs under the Swedish active labour market policy. We examine the potential effects of tenure on how caseworkers use this tool. The empirical analysis is based on quantitative and qualitative data. We show that as tenure increases, street‐level bureaucrats, especially male caseworkers, tend to act in accordance with policy signals to a lesser extent. The qualitative analysis shows that this pattern can partly be explained by the fact that increasing experience with meeting clients face to face increases caseworkers’ perceived confidence and skills.

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Political Influence on Street-Level Bureaucratic Outcome: Testing the Interaction between Bureaucratic Ideology and Local Community Political Orientation

Cited by 39 publications

References 13 publications

Policy Positions of Bureaucrats at the Front Lines: Are They Susceptible to Strategic Communication?

Policy Positions of Bureaucrats at the Front Lines: Are They Susceptible to Strategic Communication?

Decisions at Street Level: Assessing and explaining the implementation of the European water framework directive in Sweden

Street‐level bureaucrats, rule‐following and tenure: How assessment tools are used at the front line of the public sector

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