Conceptualizing the Street-Level Bureaucrat Construct

Abstract

Differences among street-level bureaucrats—across professions, institutional settings, regions, and countries—are largely overlooked in research. We propose conceptualizing the street-level bureaucrat construct as a general variable that varies across institutional settings, professions, cultures, times, and locations. We analyze variations in street-level bureaucrats along two main dimensions: discretion and frontline-ness. We also identify sub-dimensions of discretion and frontline-ness. Discretion sub-dimensions include goal ambiguity, performance accountability complexity, organizational rule structures, and professionalism. Frontline-ness varies in closeness to clients, contact frequency, and emotional and relational embeddedness with clients. This framework for conceptualizing street-level bureaucrats as a general variable is particularly useful for understanding variation across types, professions, states, and countries, providing a fertile basis for comparative research on street-level bureaucrats.