Role Of Bureaucracy Research Articles

Navigating the Challenges of Primary Health Care in Selected Local Government Authorities in Tanzania: Bringing Lipsky’s Theory in Its Requisite Panorama

Introduction The robust delivery of primary health care (PHC) service is a complex interplay of key stakeholders, including policymakers, citizens, the government, parliamentarians, academics, and street-level bureaucrats - health staff in this context. While each of these players has a stake in ensuring robust PHC delivery, this paper specifically examines the role of street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) in dealing with service delivery challenges in Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Tanzania. Although the engagement with these actors gained momentum in the decentralization reforms of the 1990s, their contribution has been slow. The question remains: How can SLBs cope with LGAs’ predicaments to enhance service delivery? Lipsky’s (1980) theory focuses on this contention by proposing that under challenging encounters, SLBs can develop specific patterns of practices to deal with the status quo. Methods Data were collected through interviews with policymakers at Mvomero District and Moshi Municipal Councils. To assess the effectiveness of primary health care services attributes such as authority, accountability, and access were closely examined. A thematic review of the literature was conducted to corroborate the findings from the interviews. Results The findings indicate that SLBs can cope with complex and challenging situations related to PHC delivery by rationing resources, simplifying their work environment, or exiting from turbulent environments. Although the engagement of SLBs gained momentum during the decentralization reforms of the 1990s, their contribution has been slow. The primary factor hindering their effectiveness is the inability to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the Central Government and LGAs. Conclusion The government's attempts to control SLBs' behaviors, including limiting their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, undermine their client responsiveness. Empowering SLBs and fostering a more collaborative relationship between the central government and LGAs is essential to enhance PHC delivery.

Surviving and Resisting Retrenchment: US Resettlement Organizations’ Responses to Trump-era Anti-refugee Policy

Abstract Retrenchment and erosion of refugee protections have been on the rise in multiple contexts around the world. In the United States, the Trump Administration’s refugee policies threatened the very survival of domestic resettlement institutions. The administration reduced the number of refugees, cut funds, and sewed confusion. In the face of restrictionist policies, how did refugee advocates respond? Leveraging a case study of resettlement organisations’ responses to Trump-era anti-refugee policies, this article demonstrates that administrators not only adapted creatively to survive the barrage of attacks but also engaged in meaningful political contestation. In circumscribed moments, administrators defied theoretical expectations: they placed the collective above the individual and challenged exploitative dynamics fundamental to US refugee programmes. This article draws on critical theory to analyse administrative resistance, repositioning bureaucrats as advocates in the process. In doing so, the article makes three main contributions. First, it elucidates the unseen role of bureaucrats as agents of progressive institutional change. Next, it offers new analytic purchase into puzzling organisational behaviour by foregrounding social relations of power. Finally, the article provides tools and resources for resettlement organisations navigating retrenchment globally.

Cultivating Urban Agriculture Policies: Local Government Entrepreneurs’ Strategies in Three Brazilian Cities

Urban agriculture (UA) is increasingly recognized in policy and academic discussions for its potential to promote sustainable food systems and reduce food insecurity. Due to their proximity to citizens, local governments are well-positioned to advance these initiatives. However, the factors that drive governments in densely populated cities to develop UA policies remain relatively understudied, especially in the Global South. To address this gap, we employ a comparative case study approach based on key informant interviews and documents to examine how local government actors pursue UA policies in the Brazilian cities of Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and Curitiba. We find that certain municipal bureaucrats act as “policy entrepreneurs,” emerging as pivotal figures in creating, maintaining, and adapting municipal UA policies in Brazilian cities. These policy entrepreneurs use a number of strategies to advance their policy preferences, secure resources, and legitimize their actions within the public administration. These approaches include collaborating with civil society, forging partnerships within and outside of government, framing their proposals within international policy guidelines, and leveraging media coverage and external recognition. In doing so, policy entrepreneurs shape UA policies by introducing new programs, making them resilient to changes related to electoral turnover, and diversifying initiatives from direct government support for gardeners to, for example, incorporating UA into urban planning regulations. This article thus provides valuable insights for policymakers and underscores the crucial role of local government bureaucrats, particularly those acting as policy entrepreneurs, in shaping policies that contribute to making cities sustainable.

The Impact of Bureaucratic Structures on the Performance of School Principals in Public Secondary Schools

The study investigated into bureaucratic role of principals’ leadership performance in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The population of the study consisted of the two hundred and ninety six (296) principals in all the two hundred and ninety-six (296) public senior secondary schools in the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State. The sample of this study comprised the two hundred and ninety-six (296) principals selected from the two hundred and ninety-six (296) public senior secondary schools in the twenty three (23) Local Government Areas in Rivers State, representing 100% of the population using the census sampling technique. Out of the 296 copies of questionnaires distributed 275 representing 96% of the total number of copies, were duly completed and returned. The instrument for data collection for this study was a 30 item self-structured questionnaire titled ‘Bureaucratic Role of Principals’ Leadership Performance Questionnaire (BRPLPQ)”. The instrument was structured using the modified 4-points Likert Scale model of; Very High Extent (VHE) – 4 points; High Extent (HE) =3 points; Low Extent (LE) = 2 point and Very Low Extent (VLE) =1 point.

How the content of digital complaints shapes bureaucratic responsiveness in Mumbai

AbstractWhen do unelected officials respond to citizen complaints, and what are the implications for service delivery? In the formal complaint system for Mumbai's water sector, bureaucrats addressed 44% of the roughly 20,000 complaints lodged from 2016 to 2018. In line with literature on distributive politics, responsiveness to marginalized citizens is lower. Yet in interviews, officials emphasize that programmatic goals and capacity constraints lead to prioritization by what the complaint is about. In fact, once controlling for complaint content, the relationship between complainant identity and responsiveness disappears. Initial patterns of differential responsiveness by complainant identity arise from the fact that citizens from marginalized groups experience lower levels of service provision, which leads them to make complaints that are more difficult to address. The paper sheds light on the role of bureaucracy in e‐governance and service delivery, showing administrative priorities in responding to complaints may perpetuate inequalities in service provision.

Institutional governance and state-building in Somaliland

Governance is the combined principles of the effective rule of law within a framework of institutional capacity for legal entity, Institutional governance encompassed both administrative aspect and legal framework of institutional development linked with the state-building development. Institutional governance entails accountability, transparency to the demands of effective monitoring process, the aim of the paper is to know how institutional governance affect state-building in Somaliland, institution governance framework and the role of institutions to stat-building follow to accountability, transparency, rule of law and participation. The paper exams to understand the dynamics of institutional governance and state-building idea of governance in state-progress, state-building determinate, institutional Legal frameworks, discrepancies affecting institutions and the consequence. Somaliland is post-conflict country, the consequence from the destruction of infrastructural development brought some basic facilities including, peace, schools and institutional governance has destroyed, the paper presents the role of government bureaucrats (Civil Service)[1] in institutional building, peace restoration and institutional development, finally one of the ideas of paper discussed is the how citizens involved state-building and state-development. The Somaliland Civil Service Commission is a Somaliland government agency established in 1993 that oversees the employment of civil servants and lead reforms in Somaliland's decentralization process. The head of the agency is chairman and is appointed by the President of Somaliland.

(Un)certainty for Sale? A Historic Exposé on Sida’s Use of External Experts 1960s–2020s

In this paper we offer an empirically rich, longitudinal account of the role and influence of externally sourced experts by the Swedish development aid agency, Sida, from the 1960s until present times. We describe what type of expertise has been required from external experts and how the content and rituals of these contracted experts have contributed – or not – to perceptions of trust and certainty. In the paper we present three eras, all with their distinctive features on the normative rationale and forms for external expertise; 1. 1960s–ca 1995: the Quick-fix implementer era; 2. Ca 1995–ca 2005: the Collaborative turn era; and 3. Ca 2005–2020s: the Proper organization proxy era. We suggest that a mission drift has occurred in Swedish aid as concerns both the in-house expert role of aid bureaucrats and the role of procured experts. The paper concludes that all throughout, external experts have served an important function – that of making organizations in the donor role less uncertain of their decisions on which organizations should receive funding. Interestingly, however, the use of external experts has in all times given rise to additional uncertainty, which, in turn, has called for even more experts. We also find that external experts have repeatedly been criticized for ineffectiveness and consultocracy, meaning that consultants have been influential in the formulation and implementation of policies aimed at restructuring public services.

The Modernization of Public Administration: The Impact of Public Employment on Digital Innovation in Italy

ABSTRACT In Italy, despite many regulations disciplining e-government in PA, public services have not yet reached a good level of digitalization. Our research shows that one of the causes lies in the restrictive public employment policies that have changed the structure of public administration personnel. The research finds the existence of a causal link between some structural characteristics of the civil service and the level of e-government in local public administrations. These result highlight the need for an organizational transformation of local administrations, in terms of both rethinking the composition of staff and strengthening the technical knowledge of bureaucratic roles.

Barakat, Nora Elizabeth. Bedouin Bureaucrats: Mobility and Property in the Ottoman Empire. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2023

This monograph examines the imperial nation-building process in the latter half of the nineteenth century, centering on tent-dwelling Bedouin tribes of inner Syria, predominantly in the Transjordan region. Investigating interactions among Bedouin chiefs, commercial-capitalists, urban elites, and Ottoman officials from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century, it illustrates the central role of Bedouin bureaucrats in fostering mutually beneficial relationships within or outside the state sphere.

IJCM_214A: Digital interventions for childhood malnutrition in a tribal area of Andhra Pradesh: Understanding the problem through a health system perspective

Background: Childhood malnutrition is a major public health concern in the tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, India, particularly in the region of ITDA Rampachodavaram. The integration and effectiveness of digital health interventions in these underserved regions are vital for addressing this endemic issue. However, the unique challenges posed by the remote and resource- limited settings of tribal areas make the implementation of such interventions particularly complex. Moreover, the varying complexity of the digital health ecosystem in these areas adds another layer of concern to deploying digital health solutions. Objectives: 1. To explore digital health interventions related to childhood malnutrition in the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) of Rampachodavaram. 2. To understand the dynamics of the local health system and the digital health ecosystem in the implementation of these interventions. 3. To examine the role of street-level bureaucrats in implementing digital interventions and identify the barriers and facilitators affecting this process Methodology: The research was conducted in ITDA Rampachodavaram, involving interviews with health system officials and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with frontline health workers. The Health System Dynamics (HSD) framework and Lipsky’s theory on street-level bureaucrats were utilized, and enriched with insights into the digital health ecosystem. Results: The study reveals significant systemic, contextual, and human factors influencing the implementation of digital health interventions. Challenges include the complex role of street-level bureaucrats and systemic barriers like inadequate training, technological limitations, and disparities in digital access and literacy. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential of digital health interventions in improving childhood malnutrition outcomes in tribal areas. It stresses the importance of adaptive, inclusive strategies and advocates for digital health equity. Empowering frontline health workers and tailoring interventions to the specific health system dynamics and digital ecosystem of tribal regions are key for effective implementation.

Reactualizing Indonesia's Legal System: A Comprehensive Critique and Proposals for Reform

This text provides a comprehensive critique of the legal system and law enforcement in Indonesia, addressing challenges and proposing solutions. It discusses issues such as formalism, case backlog, and the need for innovation in judicial decision-making. The analysis emphasizes the importance of reactualizing the legal system, integrating local laws into the national framework, and implementing institutional reforms for law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the text advocates for empowering society through increased access to government functioning and legal awareness. The role of bureaucracy in development and challenges posed by political and constitutional phenomena are explored. The article outlines four key problems requiring attention: legal system reactualization, institutional restructuring, community empowerment, and bureaucratic empowerment. Ultimately, the analysis calls for a paradigm shift in legal philosophy and proposes improvements across various facets of Indonesia's legal system and law enforcement.

Implementasi Good Local Governance di Kota Pangkalpinang pada Kepemimpinan Walikota Maulan Aklil

Good local governance is a form of government management at the local level that adheres to several principles, one of which is the principle of openness. Good regional governance is also the most prominent issue in the management of public administration today, especially regarding the shift in the role of bureaucrats from being people who want to be served to becoming an instrument of the state that must serve the people who already pay them through taxes. One of the principles of good local governance is the principle of accountability or responsibility, which means that the government as the manager of public administration is obliged to be responsible for their work towards the community, which must be carried out like consumers. Departing from the phenomenon that has occurred to date in Pangkal Pinang City, where during Maulan Aklil's leadership as Mayor he produced many achievements, including in the field of governance. One of the awards consistently received is that the Pangkal Pinang city government received the title of Unqualified Opinion (WTP) from the Financial Audit Agency. This means that Pangkal Pinang City has good financial performance accountability. The award indicates that the Pangkal Pinang City Government has succeeded in implementing one of the principles of Good Local Governance in managing governance and public administration, this of course cannot be separated from the leadership of Mayor Maulan Aklil in leading Pangkal Pinang City. This research aims to determine the implementation of Good Local Governance implemented by the Pangkal Pinang City Government, where Pangkal Pinang City consistently receives WTP awards. This makes this research important to carry out and it is hoped that it can later become a reference for other regions.

The everyday work of farm advisors as interface bureaucrats in greening French agricultural policies

For the last three decades, public agricultural policies in France and in Europe have progressively integrated environmental objectives through a wide range of instruments. Whereas a large body of research has examined the extent to which the greening of agricultural policies has shaped farmers' decisions and practices, few studies have considered how these normative policy orientations may trigger tensions within the agricultural bureaucratic apparatus, and notably among local farm advisors who play the role of interface bureaucrats. In this article, we have explored how farm advisors from different types of advisory structures develop multiple subjectivities and deal with the tensions that they face when navigating between policy goals, professional norms, and their personal beliefs and values. Drawing on plural qualitative methods, we focus on the implementation of two national public agroecological schemes in southwest France that support the emergence and facilitation of farmers' groups engaged towards agroecology. We find that organizational strategies shape the type of tensions advisors face and their ability to manage these. The type of policy instrument we considered also matters in the forms of creative bricolage that farm advisors develop: in the case of organizational instruments based on farmers' participation, maintaining relationships with farmers is critical to give meaning to their work. If such instruments enlarge the creative space of farm advisors, the schemes we examined also hold in-built limitations in empowering farm advisors as they fail to address the structural constraints that shape agroecological transitions.

CONCEPÇÕES DE GESTÃO ESCOLAR DEMOCRÁTICA: ESTUDO FENOMENOGRÁFICO COM DIRETORES DE ESCOLAS PÚBLICAS

ABSTRACT: Given the scarcity of empirical studies on democratic school management in Brazil, the objective of this research is to analyze, according to phenomenography, the different conceptions of democratic school management and their implications for management practices of public school principals. Data collection used in-depth individual interviews with 19 principals of municipal elementary schools. Data were analyzed using a phenomenographic protocol established in the literature. We traced three different conceptions of democratic school management: (1) as fulfillment of roles; (2) as input for decision-making; (3) as meeting the needs of the community. The main contribution of this research is to show how these conceptions lead school principals to adopt different democratic management practices. Another contribution is to provide an alternative interpretation of the role of street-level bureaucrats and other actors who modify public policies when implementing them. The findings also show that the promotion of participation, through dialogue, fosters organizational authorship. Finally, phenomenography is presented as a promising research method for the field of school management.

A Critical Reflection on Professionalism and Policy Entrepreneur Roles of Street-Level Bureaurcats (SLBs)

This article discusses the role and position of Street-Level Bureaucrats (SLBs) in the broad context of policy making and implementation. It is partially based on a study conducted in 2018 that produced a typological framework mapping the workflow and exercise of discretion amongst officers of the Malaysian Department of Social Welfare (DSW) who handle child welfare cases. In this revisit to the framework, the authors shed some new information into the context of the framework, particularly regarding the exercise of discretion amongst the officers. The authors explored the relationship between bureaucracy and discretion and concluded that they exist on a continuum and are not mutually exclusive. The repercussion of this is this that discretionary actions of SLBs can be interpreted as an expression of professionalism on behalf of the SLBs. The authors also argue that SLBs have the potential to act as 'policy entrepreneurs,’ innovating within their roles in improving service and policy implementation. Such reinterpretation of the status and roles of SLBs could lead to more inclusive policymaking and empowerment to the SLBs.

Crisis management in international organisations: the League of Nations’ response to early challenges

How do international organisations (IOs) respond to existential challenges such as membership withdrawals or budget cuts? Some IOs manage to ignore the challenge or adapt to the demands of the challenging state whereas others build institutional capacities to resist the pressure. Yet, we know little about the internal dynamics that shape IOs’ responses to such challenges. This article investigates to what extent IOs’ threat perception determines the intensity and direction of their responses to crises. Using the League of Nations’ responses to early crises as an explorative historical case study, the analysis shows that a timely and homogenous perception of a crisis leads to a more assertive and substantial response. Two broader conclusions can be drawn from the analysis for IO research. First, the role of international bureaucrats should not be underestimated in shaping an IO’s response to crises. Second, the findings indicate that a more nuanced perspective on the League’s crisis management can help overcome the failure narrative that dominates the current understanding of the League in International Relations research.

Admissions Officers’ Perceptions When Undocumented Students Seek In-State Resident Tuition Policy

Administrative burdens scholarship has explored the factors influencing bureaucrats’ perceptions and administrative discretion when entitled individuals seek policy benefits. Few studies, however, have recently investigated such phenomena with undocumented youth immigrants. Drawing from online web surveys and conducting a mixed methods study, I examine factors influencing admissions officers’ perceptions of requirements when undocumented youth claim in-state resident tuition benefits in U.S. colleges. The findings suggest that officers who interact more often with undocumented applicants and with more positive social constructions of them are less likely to support stringently applied administrative requirements when they seek in-state tuition benefits. However, such variables are insufficient to frame admissions officers’ decisions. State laws and organizational rules also constrain their administrative discretion regardless of their proclivity to facilitate access to in-state tuition benefits by undocumented youth. This study addresses the tension among public servants’ attitudes and bureaucratic factors mediating efficiency, equity, and integrity surrounding policy implementation. Findings contribute to higher education policy scholarship by exploring the roles of street-level bureaucrats as mediators among state policies, institutional rules, and the circumstances of undocumented applicants.

Discretion and its effects: analyzing the role of street-level bureaucrats’ enforcement styles

ABSTRACTThis research examines the intricacies of street-level bureaucracy, focusing on how bureaucrats’ discretionary powers affect their enforcement strategies during face-to-face interactions with clients. The study constructs an in-depth theoretical framework that blends elements from street-level bureaucracy theory and implementation studies. Structural equation modeling reveals a significant positive correlation between bureaucratic discretion and the perceived meaningfulness to clients, highlighting the roles of facilitation and accommodation enforcement style in determining enforcement approaches. However, the legalistic enforcement approach tends to create adverse impressions among clients and confines the decision-making capabilities of bureaucrats. The findings shed new light on street-level bureaucrats’ complex enforcement styles and behaviors, underscoring the critical interplay between their perceptions and enforcement methods in shaping their approach to policy implementation and public engagement. The study concludes by discussing these findings’ theoretical and practical implications, thereby enriching the conversation surrounding public administration theories and personnel management within public sector institutions.

The Role of Babinsa as Street-Level Bureaucrats in COVID-19 Handling through a Collaborative Governance Approach

Indonesia is one of the countries that has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and ranks 20th among the countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. Like other countries, COVID-19 has also negatively impacted various sectors of society, including social, cultural, economic, and educational aspects. The Indonesian government has implemented various policies from the central to the village level, such as movement restrictions through partial lockdown policies, the implementation of health protocols, COVID-19 patient management through testing, tracing, treatment, and vaccination. The complex and frequently changing policies, adjusted according to the latest COVID-19 situation, often cause confusion among the public and, in turn, lead to some people's neglectful attitudes. In dealing with the complexity of policies and their implementation, the role of street-level bureaucrats, specifically Babinsa, who are part of the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) and serve at the village level, becomes crucial. This study aims to delve into the role of Babinsa as street-level bureaucrats and the dynamics of grassroots-level COVID-19 handling through actor collaboration. The study concludes that Babinsa collaborates with village governments, healthcare workers, religious leaders, community figures, and the business community in performing their roles to strengthen capacity and resources in managing COVID-19. Additionally, the study identifies various factors that influence the performance of Babinsa as street-level bureaucrats in the implementation of COVID-19 handling policies, including sectoral ego, budget constraints, community characteristics, and limited healthcare personnel.

Dualitas Strukturasi Giddens : Risiko Politik Investasi Pemindahan Ibu Kota Negara

The Power of the State Apparatus As a government institution in the perspective of moving the State Capital becomes part of the practice of social reproduction. Various considerations wrapped in political consensus are a challenge for bureaucrats. It is suspected that his involvement in carrying out his duties and responsibilities simultaneously has an impact on the domino effect that arises as a response to transcendental transformation. The grand factor driving the transfer of IKN is such as population agglomeration on the island of Java, which has an impact on economic stagnation which is increasingly apprehensive. In other words, the underdevelopment experienced by regions outside Java will soon be resolved. The symptom of duality in the structuring of agent behavior becomes so essential considering that the agent, namely the bureaucrat, is the key person as well as a vessel for social reproduction. Thus, it is hoped that Giddens' conception in the corridor of internal bureaucratic structuring in the search for resources as a nation accelerator can be realized properly. This is in line with the transformation of community development which requires institutional elements to accommodate all levels of stakeholders. Giddens' concept emphasizes how patterns of power relations, systems and structures unite in building the evolution of a theologically patterned society. The duality approach between the possessors of power and their powers will influence each other on an ongoing basis. More than that, the connection between political phenomena in creating opportunities will be very radical when an actor expects to optimize the capacity of his actions to influence other elements. Various speculations from minority groups to the voice of environmental elements over the transfer of the national capital are purely based on an oligarchic profit-sharing project. This skeptical assumption overshadows the fact that the development transformation synergy is fraught with risks for the possibilities that will occur. Especially regarding investment-motivated funding for the state capital project, it will confront the role of bureaucrats in a metaphorical setting in the growth of national economic capacity. It is claimed that the megaproject will participate in mobilizing supporting resources that cannot be separated from the comparison of science and technology development.