Street-Level Political Controls Over Federal Bureaucracy

Abstract

LmlOC ocal partisan activities of legislators and their electoral coalitions systematically influence field office activities of federal bureaucracies in their electoral districts. This alternative to centralized democratic controls over bureaucracy occurs because discretionary policy decisions made at the field office level are influenced by local resources generated through partisan activities. Our study of county-level Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement in New York finds that county, state, and federal elected officials influence local enforcement activities, with liberal, Democratic legislators associated with more active enforcement. The county political parties are most influential for activities with the most local discretion, while members of Congress are more influential for local activities more readily controlled by the national office.

Beyond Federalism: Estimating and Explaining the Territorial Structure of Government

“…The contexts of human interaction may vary even if preferences do not (Jeffery 2012). ''Street-level'' case studies of policy making, beginning with the classic example of the Tennessee Valley Authority, generated a vocabulary to describe this-''task environment,'' ''local interaction,'' ''local stimuli'' (Scholz, Twolmby, and Headrick 1991;Hodge 1938;Pritchett 1943).…”

Governance reform, external support, and environmental regulation enforcement in rural China: The case of Guangdong province

“…Without clear societal support, enforcement officials tend to adopt a more flexible approach to enforcement (Sabatier and Mazmanian, 1983;Scholz and Wei, 1986;Wood, 1988;Scholz et al, 1991). Various societal groups may also be important allies for environmental agencies in countering bureaucratic pressures for lax enforcement, and their support may also be a source of inspiration for regulators to act more rigorously in regulatory enforcement (Rosenbaum, 1989).…”

<i>The Ethics of Dissent: Managing Guerrilla Government</i>

“…Like other scholars writing on the integration of political decision making in government bureaucracies (Appleby 1949;Long 1949;Lipsky 1980;Huber 2000;Scholz 1991), O'Leary demonstrates how officials at all levels of bureaucracies play important roles in shaping policy outcomes. Similar to Michael Lipsky' s (1980) descriptions of "street-level bureaucrats," O'Leary' s cases reveal the importance of staff discretion at the micro level of organizations.…”