Street-level bureaucrats as policymakers in the implementation of information system in social services

Abstract

This article explores the policymaking agency of street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) through public service ecosystem (PSE) framework. The study addresses the SLBs’ role in policy implementation and the conditions influencing the SLBs’ policymaking agency at individual, organizational and institutional spheres. Empirically, the focus is on the SLBs’ experiences of an information system’s (IS) implementation in social services. Findings suggest that the SLBs can utilize their policymaking agency at the individual sphere. However, the structural conditions at the organizational and institutional spheres limit the SLBs’ policymaking agency and the intended outcomes of the policy implementation.