Understanding street-level managers’ compliance: a comparative study of policy implementation in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Israel

Typ
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Herausgeber:innen
Herausgeber:in (Körperschaft)
Betreuer:in
Übergeordnetes Werk
Policy and Society
Themenheft
DOI der Originalpublikation
Link
Reihe / Serie
Reihennummer
Jahrgang / Band
43
Ausgabe / Nummer
3
Seiten / Dauer
317-333
Patentnummer
Verlag / Herausgebende Institution
Oxford University Press
Verlagsort / Veranstaltungsort
Auflage
Version
Programmiersprache
Abtretungsempfänger:in
Praxispartner:in/Auftraggeber:in
Zusammenfassung
This study focuses on street-level managers’ (SLMs) compliance with COVID-19 measures in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Israel, in order to better understand their role during policy implementation. Responsible for the direct delivery of public services, street-level organizations serve as the operational arm of the state in general and as the frontline of government policy in times of crisis. SLMs who occupy the top managerial tier within their organization are understudied, although they exert a significant influence on everyday public life. The data comprise 399 “compliance stories” based on interviews with managers in nurseries, schools, health care and welfare offices, police stations, and care homes. Using “codebook thematic analysis,” we identify various levels of (non)compliance and several prominent explanatory factors that shape (non)compliance. Data show that even when asked about particularly challenging measures, managers reported that their organization had been noncompliant (either full or partial) in only about a quarter of the stories. Three influences emerge as primary barriers to compliance—a lack of resources, managers’ relationships with clients, and the perception of the measure’s effectiveness. Emphasizing that SLMs often act as local policy entrepreneurs using their discretion to solve problems and serve the public, our findings further demonstrate the crucial role they play in shaping the face of the government for the people.
Schlagwörter
policy compliance, street-level management, COVID-19
Fachgebiet (DDC)
Projekt
Veranstaltung
Startdatum der Ausstellung
Enddatum der Ausstellung
Startdatum der Konferenz
Enddatum der Konferenz
Datum der letzten Prüfung
ISBN
ISSN
1449-4035
1839-3373
Sprache
Englisch
Während FHNW Zugehörigkeit erstellt
Nein
Zukunftsfelder FHNW
Publikationsstatus
Veröffentlicht
Begutachtung
Peer-Review der ganzen Publikation
Open Access-Status
Gold
Lizenz
'https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/'
Zitation
Ege, J., Gofen, A., Hadorn, S., Hakman, I., Malandrino, A., Ramseier, L., & Sager, F. (2024). Understanding street-level managers’ compliance: a comparative study of policy implementation in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Israel. Policy and Society, 43(3), 317–333. https://doi.org/10.1093/polsoc/puae024