Street-Level Management: A Clientele-Agent Perspective on Implementation. (24th August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gassner, Drorit; Gofen, Anat
• Is Part Of: Journal of public administration research and theory. Volume 28:Number 4(2018:Oct.)
• Page Start: 551
• Page End: 568
• Publication Date: 2018-08-24
• Subjects: Public administration -- Periodicals; Policy sciences -- Periodicals; 351.05
• DOI: 10.1093/jopart/muy051
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1053-1858

Abstract

Abstract: It is now widely accepted that public policy is not merely about its formal wording but rather the ways it is implemented. Implementation portrayals are not uniform: some focus on street-level delivery while others refer to managerial actions of different administration levels. Although varied, current implementation research overlooks the distinct position of chief executive officers of street-level organizations, who are overarchingly in charge of, and accountable for, the direct delivery of multiple policies to a local target population. This study distinguishes them as a unique public management category, termed here "street-level management, " and explores their contribution drawing on interviews with school principals, police station chiefs, and heads of social services bureaus ( N = 78), as well as on official documents. Because street-level managers (SLMs) were found to approach their target populations as a collective endowed with contextual characteristics and a particular mix of policy preferences and needs, they are redefined as "policy clientele." To convey that policy clientele is the main lens through which street-level management is exercised, a "clientele-agent" perspective is proposed as complementing state-agent and citizen-agent viewpoints on street-level implementation. A clientele-agent approach is evidenced in SLMs' ongoing efforts to facilitate reciprocal relationships with policy clientele and in four street-level managerial functions—translation, adaptation, mobilization, and articulation. Uncovering overlooked collective aspects of street-level implementation and the involvement of policy clientele in direct delivery arrangements, street-level management allows for a more nuanced understanding of the interstices between policy making and direct delivery.