Street-Level Bureacrats: Friend or Foe?

Policymakers and educational researchers have very important work todo. The fate of America’s future rests squarely in their hands. They’ve got to become notnonly subject matter experts but also educational pipeline experts, persons who are well versed on the broad and intricate details involved in a student’s transition. Developing a policy is a hurculean feat handed down, with they highest of hopes, to folks in the trenches to implement. However, what transpires during implementation can be influenced by a variety of factors, one of which is the actual folks doing the work, on the street level. These bureaucrats have “relatively high degrees of discretion“ combined with “relative autonomy of organizational authority” (Lipsky, 2010, p.13). Understanding and interacting with the street level bureaucrats can shift your perception can impact your perspectives on policy creation and implementation.

Discretion in a public service position is beneficial for two reasons according to Lipsky (2010) - the interactions ”often require responses to the human dimensions of the situation” and “situations are too complicated” (p.15). Without rules and guidelines, policies are enacted and left to the implementor to determine how, when, and who benefit and/or are marginalized. While too much structure can be problematic, the same can be said about too much discretion in the wrong hands. We see it every day, police and persons of color are an easy example. A lot of discretion is given to police officers, and for those who handle discretion with care, for the right reasons. Not all human interactions can be scripted. However, this discretion is also seen when policies need to be implemented. Whomever is given the discretion to interpret the policy and how it is implemented has the power. Working with street level bureaucrats gives policy makers some of the power to insure the spirit of policies is upheld.

These bureaucrats can be friend or foe. Thinking about them through the political frame allows policy makers and educational researchers the opportunity to leverage outcomes. Street level bureaucrats should never be feared but instead understood they they exist and play a powerful role in how and to what degree a well intented policy is implemented.

Lipsky, M. (2010). Street-Level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. Russel Sage, New York.