Centro de Estudos da Metrópole

The book is primarily targeted at researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students interested in public administration and policy implementation, particularly in the context of developing and transition countries. Academic and professional individuals involved in public administration, governance, or policy implementation may find it interesting to have and read this book because of its comprehensive coverage of street-level bureaucracy (SLB) dynamics within the context of weak state institutions. It provides a comprehensive overview of SLB practices within the context of weak state institutions offering insights into how public policies are implemented at the grassroots level. It has a global perspective that enhances understanding and applicability across diverse contexts. It also sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for effective policy implementation and public service delivery in challenging environments. Finally, it includes case studies, empirical research, and practical examples that offer valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers grappling with real-world governance issues. Overall, the book serves as a valuable source for anyone interested in understanding and addressing the complexities of policy implementation and SLB in contexts characterized by weak state institutions.

The concept of SLB, introduced to public administration literature by Lipsky's groundbreaking book in 1980, has recently seen a resurgence in the literature. However, there remain deficiencies in the literature, especially considering issues like COVID-19. The SLB theory posits that the daily interactions between the state and society are shaped by the decisions and activities of SLBs (Hill & Møller, 2019). In other words, SLBs, also known as frontline bureaucrats, make decisions by balancing laws with the needs of society, being the closest link to citizens (Lipsky, 1969, 1980, 2010).

Until recently, many topics have been addressed in the SLB literature. Scholars have long debated how SLBs can exercise their discretion, the factors influencing their work conditions and practices, and how these aspects affect policy outcomes and citizens' access to public services. In short, the theoretical aspects of SLB have been extensively discussed (Chang & Brewer, 2023). As a result of these discussions, SLB has been recognized as an important concept and field of study in public administration literature. However, with the recent impact of COVID-19 and discussions revolving around SLBs in developing and transitional countries, new debates have emerged in the SLB literature. The role of SLBs during crisis periods between the state and citizens has become a topic of discussion during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Lotta et al. (2021) demonstrated in their research how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the activities of SLBs and their relationship with the state's crisis response reflex in Brazil, analyzing the relationship between SLBs' daily performances and their interactions with citizens during the pandemic. However, the main question addressed in the literature is about the foundation of the SLB framework, which is based on developed countries with liberal democracies. Indeed, as highlighted by Lipsky (1980, 2010), almost all policymaking and implementation theories have been developed based on the United States and European countries, considering ideal conditions suitable for liberal democracies with strong institutional structures. In this context, there is debate about the problematic nature of adapting the SLB framework to different regimes, unequal social structures, or developing and transitional countries without strong democratic traditions and equality norms (Møller & Stensota, 2019). “Street-Level Bureaucracy in Weak State Institutions,” is also based on these debates and discusses whether the theory can be applied to different contexts.

The editors of the book, Rik Peeters, Gabriela Lotta, and Fernando Nieto-Morales have been contributing to the SLB literature for some time (Alcadipani et al., 2020; Campos & Peeters, 2022; Gofen & Lotta, 2021; Lotta & Pires, 2019; Lotta et al., 2021, 2022), and most of the authors have previously made efforts to recontextualize SLB theory for developing and transition countries (Gofen et al., 2022; Hupe & Hill, 2015; Masood & Nisar, 2021; Meza et al., 2021; Mohammed, 2022). These efforts are important in exploring new directions in SLB literature through developing countries. The editors and most of the authors of the book contributed the special issue on SLBs published in Public Administration and Development in 2022, and the articles in the special issue forms the basis for this book. This book aims to expand the SLB literature, which is based on specific democratic assumptions and oriented towards developed countries, with discussions and examples from developing and transitional countries. In other words, the objective of this book is to broaden the SLB literature, which is dominated by the Global North, to a wider audience. Within this scope, there is a goal to bridge the gap between the Global North and Global South within the SLB literature. Looking at the scope and content of the book, we can see that the chapter authors are mostly scholars from the Global South, analyzing the conditions of SLBs in a wide range of examples spanning from Africa to Latin America.