Street-Level Bureaucracy: The Dilemmas of the Individual in Public Service

by Michael Lipsky

Street-Level Bureaucracy is an insightful study of how public service workers, in effect, function as policy decision makers, as they wield their considerable discretion in the day-to-day implementation of public programs.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Sociology, Academic, Public Policy, Political Science, History

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Christy Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still using this short and sweet classic in an upper-level Applied Social Policy class! Have plenty of new reads, but nothing like this one to provide the context of anyone working in health, education, and human service fields, including the case manager, social worker, and counselor.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic but important information presented in a very dry, highly-repetitive way.

[Jesse Frederik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misschien is het genre-eigen, maar waarom moet deze shit zo shit geschreven zijn?

Hoe dan ook: een boek vol interessante observaties. Het gaat over street level bureaucracy, ik weet niet hoe je dat in het Nederlands vertaald, maar het zijn eigenlijk beroepen in de publieke sector waar iemand zeer veel ruimte heeft om het werk in te vullen. Denk: leraar, politie, rechter - ze zijn gebonden aan regels, maar hebben in de praktijk veel ruimte om die regels zelf uit te leggen.

Hij noemt een paar wetmatigheden van deze vorm van werk. Allereerst: de middelen zijn altijd ontoereikend, en als er meer middelen komen neemt de vraag naar een dienst toe. Street level bureaucrats zijn daarom constant bezig met het verwerken van veel te hoge werkvoorraden. Het eigenlijke doel - schulden verlichten, misdaad oplossen en kinderen lesgeven - raakt ondergeschikt aan de noodzaak om die hoge caseloads te verwerken. Hij geeft hier vele voorbeelden van.

Ik zal er één noemen uit mijn eigen ervaring met schuldhulpverleners: er zijn veel meer mensen die schuldhulp nodig hebben, dan die het ontvangen. We hebben iets van een miljoen mensen met schulden, en er zijn er slechts 200.000 bekend bij schuldhulpverlening (bekend, dat is niet geholpen). Dus hoe gaat de schuldhulpverlening hiermee om? Ten eerste, ze zoekt niet actief naar mensen met schulden. Mensen moeten zelf komen, en dat doen mensen met schulden meestal niet. Ten tweede, ze barricaderen de voordeur met een pak formulieren. Je komt er niet in, tenzij je administratie op orde is, en je dit, dat en deze kan laten zien. (Hier zijn overigens grote gemeentelijke verschillend, dit geldt niet voor alle gemeenten.)

De taak van een schuldhulpverlener is ook schier eindeloos. Zo kun je elk dossier napluizen op onterechte (incasso)kosten, of andere praktijken waarvan je denkt: dit mag niet. Schuldhulpverleners kunnen bezwaar maken of zelfs naar de tuchtrechter gaan om dit soort illegale praktijken aan te pakken. Maar dat doen ze niet, want dat kost veel te veel tijd. Of: je kunt mensen beter helpen om straks zelf een administratie te voeren (hier wordt ook niet altijd in geïnvesteerd).

Stel je zou het budget van schuldhulpverleners verdubbelen, dan denk ik nog dat ze genoeg werk te doen hebben. (Dat wil overigens niet zeggen dat het zinvol is om het budget te verdubbelen.) Het punt is: het werk is nooit klaar. Je kunt denk ik soortgelijke dingen zeggen over politiewerk en leraarschap - wanneer is dat ooit klaar?

Er staat wel meer interessants in dit boek. Wat het vooral doet is broodnodige aandacht geven aan de politiek van de uitvoering. We schrijven in de media bovenmatig veel over ‘wetten’, maar niet hoe deze uitgevoerd worden. Terwijl hoe een wet uitgevoerd wordt soms meer invloed heeft op hoe mensen de overheid ervaren dan de wetten zelf. Ten goede en ten slechte. Ik ken voorbeelden waarin de uitvoering ervoor zorgt dat een wanwet buiten spel wordt gezet, maar ook waarin de uitvoering zo slecht is dat de wet eigenlijk niet werkt.

In elk geval wel een terechte klassieker - daarom vier sterren ondanks de lezeronvriendelijke schrijfstijl.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lipsky makes a compelling argument for how frontline public workers are the people who truly enact policy, and it's depressing to think about the ways this creates incredible inconsistencies and inequalities in both access to and administration of services. But his focus on discretion as a negative is frustrating; yes, it can be unfair, but sometimes it allows workers to treat people as the unique individuals they are within a system designed to do the opposite.

[Keren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a school of social work policy must-read that I just re-read. It's a fabulous book and a great beginner's encouragement towards increased understanding and ACTION in the world of social services.

[CTEP]

This book was really appealing to me when I read the back cover. It is basically a research paper written in 1980 that still rings true. It was very interesting and covered a lot of good topics. The problem with it is that it is so dry and so hard to read that I could rarely get through more than one chapter in a sitting. That being said there was a lot of really good information in this book.

The book addresses the roll that street level bureaucrats must fill and obstacles they face. Those who are in public service are almost universally overwhelmed by their work loads and there are other complaints that are also so common that they have become what is expected instead of being seen as an actual problem. These issues include very low levels of client satisfaction, high levels of burnout among employees, low levels of accountability for the quality of work being done, rampant inefficacy, and often there is biases at play in the decisions that effect who gets what service and what quality of service they get. Everyone from case workers, and teachers, to the police must make decisions that affect people’s lives dramatically and they don’t always have the resources they need to do that well.

No matter how much they are able to increase funding to public services it’s almost always assured that the demand will rise to again meet and exceed the supply. This means case workers and others who must work with people seeking social services will always, unless huge changes are made to the system, be over worked. When someone is overworked and has seen the same problems day after day they become burnt out and make up their own shortcuts for determining which people will get their time, because the truth is they don’t have the time to give to everyone because work loads are too high.

It also addresses the cattle like way in which people are turned into clients. Most people who seek public benefits are viewed as being voluntary participants in the system but the truth is if you have no other way to pay your rent or buy food you are not voluntarily involved. Which means people are trained by our society to fit into the boxes that social services of all kinds expects them to be in. Everyone comes in with a different life story and a different reason and urgency to the help they need but because there must be blanket rules and the workers have too much to do everyone is lumped together and receives the same treatment or lack of treatment.

In the later part of the book there was a lot of discussion about what solutions there may be to some of these problems. Unfortunately there is no easy fix to the problems and in order to make the system work right would require an entire overhaul of the way it is set up. I guess that’s where we come in to see the problems and demand the overhaul.

It was a good book, very interesting, lots of information that is useful to me in my position. I recommend it if you have enough patience but the truth is that it’s fairly hard because a lot of the time you feel like they are repeating themselves and it’s very dry. If you think you can deal with that though you should defiantly read it.

[Jiang Qin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is lowly investigated field: every common person can talk about who to be president of prime minister and their policies, but they are ignorant about the social services nearby such as NHS, police, tax, education.

This award winning book is not engaging to me maybe because it’s written 1991.
The social service is in lack of ownership, no boss to reward good service or fire bad ones, no systematic support to arrange reasonable task. Rely on the staff’s sacrifice to cope with those urgent demands with limited resources and information. This happens in China, turns out people complain about the individual officer and resort to higher levels officer to help… Chinese once believed all bad is those low level officers but communist party is good.

I am curious about how western society treat such problems.
Didn’t get answers from this book. But the book informs me the problem.

My solution is:
1 keep people’s good heart is more essential than strict regulations;
2 symbiosis between the bureaucrats and the people. The doctors, teachers, policemen should live in the local district they’re in charge of.

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic, no question. Every venturesome student of policy or budding teacher, policeofficer, or service worker with an interest in the administrative structures that destroy the possibility of genuine expressions of such work should read this. Lipsky's prose is mostly dry, that's true, but moments of genuine pathos and wit emerge like minor lightning bolts. Mostly, though, what you find is a relentless and clearsighted vision of the structure dilemma of those who have chosen to enter the public service in direct service, such as counter workers, or indirect service such as teachers and social workers. It's news to no one that this is a rigged game with all the dice loaded against idealism; what Lipsky reminds you is that it doesn't have to be this way.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read on how street level bureaucrats exercise discretion and the exercise of this discretion actually becomes policy. Although it is some 30 years old, the information is still applicable. I do think more could have been added in this edition on the role of technology--how much work it has added to the street level bureaucrat, how much work it has reduced, how that work has shifted, and how the technology itself has created somewhat of a divide in the population int terms of access to services.

[Karen Armenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for class, re-read it for a project, and then after completing Graduate School, finally read it to process it and not just get a grade. Lipsky's exploration of public service is a game-changer. It delves into the daily challenges faced by public service workers—those "street-level bureaucrats" who interact directly with the public. From social workers to police officers, the book highlights the dilemmas they encounter, like balancing personal judgment and policy constraints.

Lipsky's analysis of how policies are implemented on the ground is eye-opening and incredibly relevant for anyone working in or studying public administration. The book is filled with real-life examples that illustrate the complexities and ethical dilemmas faced by public service workers. It challenges you to think about the impact of bureaucracy on both workers and the people they serve, prompting deeper reflection on the role of public institutions.

Some parts are pretty dense and academic, which might be a bit tough to get through if you're not super into policy analysis. A few themes are repeated throughout the book, which might feel a bit redundant.

[Håkan Torevik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important book in political and social sciences. For almost 40 years it has been the defining text on the role of the individual public servant in practical delivery of policy. It shows how teachers, police officers constantly have to interpret laws, agency directives and demands from the public in order to function in their professional role.

That said, this is a dull read. Lipsky is a great at defining the relevant factors, and at providing context. But it is dull, repetitive and the 200 or so pages of text (not including the notes and references) feels much longer.

Sure, it is a scholarly text, and back at university I would have loved it. Nowadays I have gotten mentally soft and prefers more layman oriented reading.

[reza&faricha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Street-Level Bureaucracy as a part of implementation theory really helps academics and practitioners to understand how the public bureaucracy works at delivering public services. How the individuals inside public bureaucracy works and communicates with clients.

By using "Clients" for "Citizens" then this book was part of public administration that want to put corporate efficiency into works at public bureaucracy. Michael Lipsky helps us to delve deep into the works of Street-Level Bureaucrats that deal with the people everyday.

I really recommend this book if you want to read or do research on the lowest level of bureaucracy where the government meet demands from citizens everyday.

[jes nemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important text (despite when it was written) for anyone in public service or even considering entering the field. Perhaps seemingly written in a pessimistic tone, it is pragmatic in calling out where our communities' services tend to bottleneck and considering this was first posited 40+ years ago and more timely than ever is saying something. Was used in conjunction with other written works on policing models and empirical research for a Criminal Justice Administration course in a CJA masters program this past spring.

[Robin Bittick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a classic that focuses on those who work in government who have both direct contact with the people receiving the government service in which they are involved, and have discretionary powers in providing such services. I use this book extensively in my research involving organizational and institutional credibility.
I highly recommend this book for students and professionals of public administration (i.e. government).

[Christina Toma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically gave me the entire theoretical framework for my dissertation so I can’t not give it a 5/5. As a researcher, I appreciate the complexity and nuance of these careers and Lipsky’s careful attention to detail. Finally, a political scientist that doesn’t bore me to death. As an educator, I feel heard, seen, and understood. For every teacher who has ever thought “is it really this bad?” Yes, it is. Read this book.

[Rita Lei Chen 雷晨 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discretionary power is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, because grassroots work faces complex and specific situations, it cannot be strictly restricted by rigid rules; on the other hand, people have inertia and selfish desires and abuse their discretion in the name of public will. The so-called kill at once, and chaos as soon as it is released, but that's it.

[Devrie Paradowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books that explores the dynamics of public servitude in public governance. Employees from the bottom to the top are stakeholders with the ability to nudge change in response to the public. This fact can be a double-edged sword.

[Kalle Eriksson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Zac Macinnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was supposed to read this in grad school. Didn’t then but glad I read it now!

[R T-P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for college and while I agree with the arguments put forward, I was bored to death by the way it was so repetitive.

[Mae ☀️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Thetis · Rating 1 out of 5]

文风是机械的、结构是散漫的、观点是冗杂的。在借用各种经典社会学理论平庸地说明“街头”（到底为什么叫街头？？？）情况后，雄辩地得出了劲爆的跑步投共结论。（砸烂、集体、工读、批评与自我批评……）请问您这个结论经得起前十几章立于不败之地的scheming dialectics的检验吗😅

[Lars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on the dilemma's of public servants

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about the work lives of welfare workers, police officers, teachers, and other social service providers who work face to face with people. One central theme of the book is that because these workers can never keep up with demand (30 kids in a class room, public defenders with 3 times the number of clients they can reasonably represent, social workers with caseloads twice the legal limit), the needs of these workers end up being the real social policy, as they make daily adjustments and judgement calls on clients in an attempt to keep up with the work.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important work. Lipsky argues that it is important to study street level bureaucrats if we wish to understand the delivery of services and how policies get enacted. Who are street level bureaucrats? They are government employees in the front lines--teachers, firefighters, police officers, welfare workers, and so on. They play an important role in policy implementation and service delivery, and it is clear that we cannot fully undersdtand policy impacts without being aware of their role in the process.

[Kevin Kosar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this for Public Administration Review: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10...

[Justina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone working in the fields of policy (particularly in the social sciences) must read.

[Lincoln Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed and thoughtful examination of the ways public policy is implemented by "street-level bureaucrats"--the individuals on the front lines of government--and how these individuals constrain and redefine the objectives of policymakers.