The Politics of Time on the Frontline: Street Level Bureaucracy, Professional Judgment, and Public Accountability

Murphy, Mark; Skillen, Paul

doi:10.1080/01900692.2014.952823

Cited by 28 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In this respect, several studies noted the effect of New Public Management reforms on professionals (Farrell and Morris ; Noordegraaf and Steijn ) and some authors have argued that rising bureaucratic burdens have made the work of public professionals more demanding (Burton and Van den Broek ). In this respect, Travers () argued that the development of more extensive mechanisms of quality assurance has led to a “new bureaucracy”, especially in the public sector where professionals “in areas such as education, health, and social work [are] under increasing pressure to evidence accountability to the public and the public purse” (Murphy and Skillen , p. 633).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relational job characteristics and job satisfaction of public sector employees: When prosocial motivation and red tape collide

Steijn

Voet

2017

Public Administration

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Recent studies suggested that the relationship between prosocial motivation and job satisfaction is mediated by relational job characteristics (e.g., job impact and job content). Based on a study of Dutch child welfare professionals, we theorize and empirically assess how red tape negatively impacts the relational job characteristics and job satisfaction of public professionals. Our study shows that the relationship between red tape and job satisfaction is partially mediated by relational job characteristics. Red tape thus decreases the job impact and job contact of professionals, thereby decreasing their job satisfaction. In addition, our study provides additional insight into how prosocial motivation and red tape are jointly related to job impact and job satisfaction. This provides support for the point of view that highly motivated public professionals are more sensitive to burdensome rules and procedures. In this respect, red tape acts as a hindrance stressor that thwarts the realization of prosocial aspirations.

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Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relational job characteristics and job satisfaction of public sector employees: When prosocial motivation and red tape collide

Steijn

Voet

2017

Public Administration

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“…Under these conditions, the street-level or "front line" of policy implementation acquires renewed importance (Lipsky, 1980;Maynard-Moody & Musheno, 2003;Murphy & Skillen, 2015). These frontline PSOs will have to excel in the detection and correction of errors and problems in policy implementation, in reflecting on and inquiring into the effects of policy experiments, and in flexibly adapting policies in response to that.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussion: Toward A Post-npm Public Sector?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has led to a growing literature on "gaming" in the public sector (Noordegraaf & Abma, 2003;Van Thiel & Leeuw, 2002), identifying a variety of dysfunctional and perverse effects of quantitative management control. Examples are additional bureaucracy, information overload, tunnel vision, short term thinking and planning, risk avoidance, fixation on measures, symbolic compliance and impression management, and a general lack of system responsibility, especially when several organizations contribute to public performance (e.g., De Bruijn, 2002;Diefenbach, 2009;Frey et al, 2013;Groot, 1999;Moynihan, 2005;Murphy & Skillen, 2015;Osborne et al, 2015;Pidd, 2005;Smith, 1995;Teelken, 2012;Townley, Cooper & Oakes, 2003;Van Dooren, 2011;Verbeeten, 2008;Verbeeten & Spekle´, 2015;Walker & Van der Zon, 2000).…”

Section: New Public Management In the Netherlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management Control, Accountability, and Learning in Public Sector Organizations: A Critical Analysis

Visser¹

2016

Studies in Public and Non-Profit Governance

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Purpose À In the past decades, Dutch public sector organizations (PSOs) have been encouraged to become more "business-like" in their internal control and accountability processes, following a more general trend toward New Public Management (NPM) in Western societies. However, in the Netherlands, this trend has met with increasing resistance and discontent among public sector professionals. In this chapter, a framework is developed that enables these public sector professionals themselves to discuss and reflect on their internal control and accountability processes, and possibly to effect changes in it.Methodology/approach À The chapter contains a critical analysis of existing research on management control, accountability, and learning in PSOs and describes a reflection and discussion session with a group of Findings À It is argued that, generally speaking, the "business-like" approach of NPM does not appear appropriate for most public sector activities and may even negatively affect accountability and learning in PSOs.Social implications À The chapter critically assesses the impact of NPM on PSOs and provides an alternative to NPM in the form of experimentalist governance, with possible positive implications for the effectiveness of public sector activities.Originality/value À This chapter is among the first to adapt a framework, developed for scientific and descriptive use, for more practical and prescriptive purposes, that is, as an instrument for public sector professionals to discuss and reflect on their internal control and accountability processes.

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“…Despite being established regimes with stable power relations and role expectations, developed democracies continue to struggle over the definition of legitimate accountability regimes (Olsen, ). Although NPM has initially emphasized social and democratic accountability (i.e., encouraging citizens to hold public officials and service providers accountable and viewing the patient as a consumer and/or as a reform overseer), its definition depends on the chosen normative perspective (Lewis, O'Flynn, & Sullivan, ), be it democratic (the people/users it serves; Murphy & Skillen, ), constitutional (preventing abuses of public authority), or managerial (effectiveness and quality of services; Bovens, Schillemans, & Hart, ). These approaches, however, are context‐relevant (Witesman & Walters, ) and, therefore, will rank differently across countries.…”

Section: New Public Management Accountability and The Democratic Rementioning

confidence: 99%

Recentralization and vertical alignment in the French health‐care system

Simonet

2017

Journal of Public Affairs

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In foreign exemplars, key new public management (NPM) features such as decentralization and devolution of health-care responsibilities had outcomes below expectations. Other NPM traits such as the patient as overseer of reforms or the empowerment of patient remained elusive. In France, the integration of public values such as greater participation of patients and local actors (NGOs and elected officials) and NPM-driven private values such as performance evaluation has yet to be seen. Taking advantage of NPM's failings and austerity agenda, a French welfare elite regained control over health-care policy decisions at the expense of regions and other local actors. NPM outcomes were below expectations. Austerity cures led to weakening of the regional decision spaces, which can be explained under the principal-agent relationship. Accountability shifted to managerial (the professionalization of hospital managers) and legal (governance via regulations) forms in a bid to restore central government control. A democratic recess results from the lack of public engagement in recent health reforms.

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The Politics of Time on the Frontline: Street Level Bureaucracy, Professional Judgment, and Public Accountability

Abstract: This article reports on a study carried out on the impact of quality assurance mechanisms -

Cited by 28 publications

References 34 publications

Relational job characteristics and job satisfaction of public sector employees: When prosocial motivation and red tape collide

Relational job characteristics and job satisfaction of public sector employees: When prosocial motivation and red tape collide

Management Control, Accountability, and Learning in Public Sector Organizations: A Critical Analysis

Recentralization and vertical alignment in the French health‐care system

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