When the Clients Can Choose: Dilemmas of Street-Level Workers in Choice-Based Social Services

Cohen, Nissim; Benish, Avishai; Shamriz-Ilouz, Aya Shamriz-Ilouz

doi:10.1086/689621

Cited by 45 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Such expressions of warmth and empathy are attempts to convey to these clients that the SLBs are trying to help them. We know that SLBs tend to use differing strategies for satisfying their clients (Cohen, Benish and Shamriz-Ilouz 2016). Similarly, in our case, we noticed that SLBs express empathy in order not to 'get into trouble' with clients whom, based on their ongoing relationship, they know to be untrustworthy.…”

Section: Prioritizing Clients In Whom Slbs Have Little Trustsupporting

confidence: 50%

Playing defence: the impact of trust on the coping mechanisms of street-level bureaucrats

Davidovitz

Cohen

2020

Public Management Review

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According to public management literature, trust has a positive influence on behaviour. Why, then, do street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) appear to favour clients whom they do not trust, and give less attention to those they do trust? Do organizational conditions play a role in this dynamic? We investigate these issues as they affect Israeli social services providers. Our study improves our understanding of trust as a factor in public service delivery. When SLBs operate in an unsupportive environment, they prioritize clients whom they distrust, bending or breaking rules for them, yet ration services to clients whom they trust.

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Section: Prioritizing Clients In Whom Slbs Have Little Trustsupporting

confidence: 50%

Playing defence: the impact of trust on the coping mechanisms of street-level bureaucrats

Davidovitz

Cohen

2020

Public Management Review

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“…Given the complexity of their work, rules, instructions and guidelines are not a satisfactory replacement for their discretion. Hence, these workers were among the first to be influenced by the ideological shift that occurred in Israel (Cohen et al ).…”

Section: Context: Israeli Social Workers and Urban Renewal Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With regard to the environment, the literature mentions the influence of actors and bureaucrats in other bureaucratic agencies (Keiser ) and non‐governmental organizations, political control (Meyers and Vorsanger ) such as partisan political power (Keiser ), political and general culture (Cohen ), neoliberal ideology (Liebenberg et al ) and the NPM wave of reforms (Cohen et al ), and the content of the policy as designed (Tummers et al ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social service providers are street‐level bureaucrats whose professional routine has been strongly influenced by the changing welfare ideology (Cohen et al ). Due to the retrenchment of the welfare state, disadvantaged populations have suffered increased hardships that have translated into direct pressure on public social service providers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reinforcing public responsibility? Influences and practices in street‐level bureaucrats' engagement in policy design

Lavee

Cohen

Nouman

2018

Public Administration

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Previous literature demonstrates that when street‐level bureaucrats believe that the policy as designed is not desirable, they utilize various strategies to change the situation. This study suggests that when street‐level bureaucrats believe that fixing a policy through the manner in which it is implemented is not enough, they will try to influence the design of the policy directly. Three factors promote this decision: public perceptions revealed in their interactions with clients, professional ethical values and a supportive organizational environment. We test this argument using Israeli public social workers in the context of urban renewal. We discuss the problems and benefits of involving street‐level bureaucrats in policy design and view such actions as related to welfare reform and changes in the state's responsibility for its citizens. We maintain that in this changing environment, street‐level bureaucrats' involvement in policy design should be formally institutionalized.

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“…This study maintains that policy entrepreneurship at the street-level flourishes under New Public Management (NPM), because interorganizational competition encourages street-level bureaucrats to adopt entrepreneurial strategies. Indeed, under NPM, street-level bureaucrats operate in a competitive environment in which clients can choose their public service providers (Cohen et al, 2016; Taylor, 2007; Tummers & Bekkers, 2014). Such an environment enables and motivates policy entrepreneurs to try and influence public policy to open up new opportunities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Interorganizational Competition in Motivating Street-Level Bureaucrats to Adopt Policy Entrepreneurship Strategies: The Case of Israeli Rabbis in Government Hospitals

Golan‐Nadir

2020

The American Review of Public Administration

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What is the role of interorganizational competition in motivating street-level bureaucrats to adopt policy entrepreneurship strategies? What are their main goals in adopting such strategies? We argue that in the wake of New Public Management, interorganizational competition encourages street-level bureaucrats to adopt policy entrepreneurship strategies. We further suggest that three competition-oriented elements motivate entrepreneurial initiatives at the street level: (a) personal, (b) organizational (interorganizational and intraorganizational), and (c) cultural demographic. In addition, we argue that the goal of street-level bureaucrats as policy entrepreneurs is to influence public policy results for their own benefit. They do so because they and their organizations are rewarded financially as their clients’ satisfaction with the services provided increases. Using in-depth interviews, online questionnaires, and textual analysis, we test these claims by analyzing the case of Israeli rabbis in government hospitals. We demonstrate how their goal in entrepreneurship is mainly to attract patients to their organization.

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When the Clients Can Choose: Dilemmas of Street-Level Workers in Choice-Based Social Services

Cited by 45 publications

References 29 publications

Playing defence: the impact of trust on the coping mechanisms of street-level bureaucrats

Playing defence: the impact of trust on the coping mechanisms of street-level bureaucrats

Reinforcing public responsibility? Influences and practices in street‐level bureaucrats' engagement in policy design

The Role of Interorganizational Competition in Motivating Street-Level Bureaucrats to Adopt Policy Entrepreneurship Strategies: The Case of Israeli Rabbis in Government Hospitals

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