The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the performance of street level bureaucrats in Brazil

Abstract

Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic requires that the State make hard decisions that involve the action of bureaucrats who interact with the population through the implementation of public policy, the street-level bureaucracy (SLB). In this paper, based on a mixed- method exploratory study, we analyze how the daily performance of street-level bureaucrats in different policy areas- health and social care, access to the justice system, public security and education - has changed during the pandemic. We also explore the repercussions of those changes. Based on the analysis of the perceptions of bureaucrats, changes in their work and in their relationship with the public, we identify three categories that illustrate the dynamics of SLB work during the pandemic: the SLB who faces the crisis on the front lines; the SLB who suffers the effects of the pandemic, but whose work does not require her to face it directly; and the SLB who began to work remotely. We conclude that, during the pandemic, SLB suffered in varying degrees an aggravation of structural problems, such as their removal from decision-making processes - now restricted to the highest government level - and the exacerbation of already existing conflicts and ambiguities.

Policy dismantling and democratic regression in Brazil under Bolsonaro: Coalition politics, ideas, and underlying discourses

“…In this context, analysis of the factors that trigger resilience and political resistance to dismantling is needed. These have been understudied, except for emerging literature concerned with the role of public bureaucracies (Bauer, Guy Peters, et al, 2021; Guedes‐Neto & Guy Peters, 2021; Lotta et al, 2021; Morais de Sa & Silva, 2021). Owing to the involvement of civil society actors in the design and implementation of the policies examined here, this study highlights the role of actors beyond the state bureaucracy.…”

Protecting vulnerability. An international comparison of social workers as street-level bureaucrats during the COVID-19 lockdown

“…, 2021; Meza et al. , 2021; Gofen and Lotta, 2021; Spanghero Lotta et al. , 2021; Myomin and Seunghoo Lim, 2022; Ogbonnaya et al.…”

“…These groups faced challenges due to various factors such as physiological, social, psychological and structural limitations, which led to reduced autonomy, lack of power and limited agency (Liamputtong, 2007;Moore and Miller, 1999;Silva, 1995;Winfield, 2021;Put et al, 2021). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a renewed interest in studying the street-level bureaucracy theory worldwide, particularly in many countries in the South (Lima- Silva et al, 2020;Carlitz et al, 2021;Meza et al, 2021;Gofen and Lotta, 2021;Spanghero Lotta et al, 2021;Myomin and Seunghoo Lim, 2022;Ogbonnaya et al, 2022;Andraszak et al, 2023).…”

The The street-level bureaucracy research agenda in the pandemic context: An integrative review

“…The implementation of public policies in everyday situations is a field of study with restricted research space compared to investigations on the agenda, formulation, decision-making, and evaluation (Lotta et al, 2018). The scarcity of research addressing the dialogue between the policy implementation's theoretical foundation and the empirical cases of the most varied sectoral public areas represents a gap in the field of study (Lotta, 2008(Lotta, , 2010Cavalcanti, Lotta, & Pires, 2018;Lotta et al, 2018Lotta et al, ). , 2021Lotta et al, 2021).…”

“…The scarcity of research addressing the dialogue between the policy implementation's theoretical foundation and the empirical cases of the most varied sectoral public areas represents a gap in the field of study (Lotta, 2008(Lotta, , 2010Cavalcanti, Lotta, & Pires, 2018;Lotta et al, 2018Lotta et al, ). , 2021Lotta et al, 2021).…”