Vulnerability in frontline public service: potential threats and implications for policy implementation

Abstract

Street-level bureaucrats deal with challenging working conditions. However, our understanding of the vulnerability they experience and whether it is reflected in the use of their discretion in implementing policy is limited. Through interviews with educators and welfare providers, we examine the sources, descriptions, and perceptions of their vulnerability, and the implications of these perceptions for how they use their discretion when implementing policy. Our findings provide a theoretical overview of the factors that create a sense of vulnerability among frontline workers. They also stress that these factors might promote or impede the implementation of policy.