Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Role Identity – Self-Conceptualization and Associated Challenges

EasyChair Preprint 13692

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore how street-level bureaucrats’ perceptions and experiences reflect administrative reform trends within Public Employment Services. We position our research within (1) street-level bureaucracy theory and narratives of professional identities as state agent, citizen agent and professional agent (Cecchini & Harrits, 2022; Maynard-Moody & Musheno, 2000) reflecting public sector ethics of justice and of care (Stensöta, 2010) as well as (2) literature on administrative reforms paradigms and the changing relationship between citizens and the state (Bogumil & Jann, 2020; Konle-Seidl, 2008). Based on survey data collected from 400 placement officers advising short-term unemployed workers in the German Public Employment Services, this study employs a mixed-methods approach to investigate the perceptions and experiences of these frontline workers. Data was collected by asking a closed question to assess own understanding of the predominant role identity (including classifications such as social worker, clerk, service provider, agent/salesperson, among others) and open-ended questions to uncover the underlying rationales behind specific role identities and to identify the most significant challenges faced by the caseworkers in their interactions with clients. The analysis of the data combines quantitative text analysis to identify patterns in the data and qualitative techniques to extract explanations and narratives from respondents' open-ended responses. This research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of how street-level bureaucrats understand their roles within bureaucratic systems, and how these role identities shape their interactions with clients.

Keyphrases: Active Labor Market Policies, Placement Officers, Public Employment Services, administrative reforms, mixed methods, professional identities, street-level bureaucrats

@booklet{EasyChair:13692,
  author    = {Mareike Sirman-Winkler and Justine Marienfeldt and Markus Tepe},
  title     = {Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Role Identity – Self-Conceptualization and Associated Challenges},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 13692},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2024}}