Research Handbook on Street-Level Bureaucracy: The Ground Floor of Government in Context(Handbooks of Research on Public Policy series)

Street-level bureaucracy concerns a vital part of the ways in which public policy programmes are implemented, particularly through the relationship between public officials and individual citizens. Addressing the state of the art and providing a systematic exploration of the theoretical and methodological issues at stake, this Research Handbook is a crucial contribution to the analysis of public policy from the perspective of the ground floor of government. The Research Handbook covers theoretical themes in current research such as institutional theory, social inequality, national culture, discrimination and representation, digitalization, and accountability. Analysing the role of teachers, police officers and other street-level bureaucrats, chapters explore how these individuals implement policies through their daily contact with citizens. Further sections investigate the methodological tools for research, as well as the future challenges facing the area. Peter Hupe concludes with lessons for the study of street-level bureaucracy and a significant research agenda for the topic. Essential reading for researchers and students of politics, government, public administration, public management, public policy and social policy, the Research Handbook on Street-Level Bureaucracy is the defining reference for understanding public policy in action in everyday life.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Preface Part I Street-level bureaucracy as a scholarly theme 1. Contextualizing government-in-action Peter Hupe 2. Positioning street-level bureaucracy research Peter Hupe and Michael Hill 3. Conceptualizing street-level bureaucracy in context Peter Hupe Part II Theoretical issues in street-level bureaucracy research 4. Specifying the dependent variable in street-level bureaucracy research Liesbeth Van Parys 5. Adopting an institutional view in street-level bureaucracy research Deborah Rice 6. Street-level bureaucracy research and social inequality Gabriela Lotta and Roberto Pires 7. Street-level bureaucracy research and the specification of national culture Marie Østergaard Møller 8. Discrimination and representation in street-level bureaucracies Nadine Raaphorst and Sandra Groeneveld 9. Using drama to understand street-level practice Tony Evans 10. Dealing with hybridization in street-level bureaucracy research Tanja Klenk and Nissim Cohen 11. Street-level bureaucracy research and the impact of digital office technologies Matilde Høybye-Mortensen 12. Street-level bureaucracy research and first-line supervision Peter Hupe and Lael R. Keiser 13. Street-level bureaucracy research and professionalism Gitte Sommer Harrits 14. Policy re-design from the street level Nissim Cohen and Tanja Klenk 15. Street-level bureaucracy research and accountability beyond hierarchy Eva Lieberherr and Eva Thomann 16. Dealing with cross-countries variation in the comparative study of public administration and street-level bureaucracy Sabine Kuhlmann 17. Explaining public task performance Peter Hupe Part III Methodological issues in street-level bureaucracy research 18. Comparing public task performance Michael Hill and Peter Hupe 19. Mixed-methods designs in street-level bureaucracy research Carina Schott and Daphne van Kleef 20. Quantitative street-level bureaucracy research Nadine van Engen 21. Qualitative data analysis in implementation and street-level bureaucracy research Anka Kekez 22. Levels of analysis in street-level bureaucracy research Anat Gofen, Shelly Sella and Drorit Gassner 23. Networks as unit of analysis in street-level bureaucracy research Kim Loyens 24. Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) as a tool for street-level bureaucracy research Eva Thomann 25. Using vignettes in street-level bureaucracy research Gitte Sommer Harrits Part IV New dimensions of studying street-level bureaucracy 26. Street-level bureaucracy research across the borders of scholarly communities Vivienne Byers 27. Street-level bureaucracy research and the assessment of ethical conduct Helena Olofsdotter Stensöta 28. Street-level bureaucracy and democratic theory Bernardo Zacka Part V Conclusion 29. Lessons for doing street-level bureaucracy research Peter Hupe 30. The ground floor of government in context: An agenda for street-level bureaucracy research. Peter Hupe Index

About the Author :
Edited by Peter Hupe, Visiting Professor, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium

Review :
'Street level bureaucracy is an established concept in the social sciences, and it might be thought difficult to find anything new and important to say about the concept. This Research Handbook demonstrates that this assumption is most definitely untrue. By emphasizing street-level bureaucracy as the ''ground floor'' of government, Peter Hupe and his collaborators have provided a number of new insights into the behaviour and importance of those public servants who are in day-to-day contact with citizens. Anyone who wants to understand the impact of government on those citizens must read the articles in this volume.' --B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, US'This Research Handbook maps the now-sprawling and diverse scholarly world of research on frontline work and the encounters between governing authority and the publics served, surveilled and disenfranchised. The Research Handbook is a ''Who's Who'' of international scholars exploring this territory and covers the full range of current topics, from theory to methods and emerging questions. It begins and ends with insightful essays by Peter Hupe, the editor. Hupe frames the diverse contributions of the Handbook authors while providing guideposts for future research. For students and scholars, this Research Handbook is essential reading, a touchstone.' --Steven Maynard-Moody, University of Kansas, US