Serving quarreling masters: Frontline workers and policy implementation under pressure

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hinterleitner, Markus; Wittwer, Stefan
• 署名单位: University of Munich; Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain; ETH Zurich
• 刊物名称: GOVERNANCE-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POLICY ADMINISTRATION AND INSTITUTIONS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0952-1895
• DOI: 10.1111/gove.12692
• 发表日期: 2023
• 关键词: POLITICAL CONTROL; bureaucracy; DISCRETION; support

摘要

How do frontline workers implement policy when it is politically contested and they face strong pressure from politicians and the media? Based on original data and a multi-method analysis of juvenile justice policy and child protection policy in Switzerland, we show that political conflict can change policy implementation when frontline workers adapt their implementation practices in response to political and media pressure. We demonstrate that frontline workers seek to limit the influence of political pressure on policy implementation to safeguard their professional autonomy and reputation. However, we observe that they may also occasionally engage in what we call blame-avoiding policy implementation. While formally complying with the policy mandate, frontline workers exploit their street-level discretion to make policy implementation less scandal-prone and blameworthy, thereby lowering the likelihood of blame attacks. The findings have important implications for our understanding of policy implementation and the functioning of bureaucracy in more conflictual times.