Accountability of Public Servants at the Street Level

Street-Level Leadership: Rethinking the Role of Public Servants in Contemporary Governance

The American Review of Public Administration ◽

10.1177/027507409602600405 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 457-476 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Janet Vinzant ◽

Lane Crothers

Keyword(s):

Public Servants ◽

Street Level

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Introduction to Special Issue: Who Does or Does Not Respond to Whom or What in a Democracy? The Case of Japan

Japanese Journal of Political Science ◽

10.1017/s1468109914000358 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

KENTARO FUKUMOTO

Keyword(s):

Special Issue ◽

Public Servants ◽

Street Level ◽

Government Work

In a democracy, it is essential that agents respond to their principals. Because the principals have some control over the agents, the agents are supposed to be loyal to the principals’ wishes. For example, in the context of an election, voters (principals) can hire and fire their representatives (agents), while lawmakers should represent their constituency and legislate accordingly. On this basis, power is delegated from principals to agents and the chain of delegation makes government work, from voters (principals) to legislators (agents), from legislators (now, principals) to ministers (agents/principals), to bureaucrats (agents/principals), and to street-level public servants (agents).

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Swiss public servants' perceptions of performance in a fast-changing environment

International Review of Administrative Sciences ◽

10.1177/0020852308089906 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 307-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Yves Emery ◽

Carole Wyser ◽

Noemi Martin ◽

Joelle Sanchez

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Performance Management ◽

Public Management ◽

New Public Management ◽

Shared Vision ◽

Civil Servants ◽

Public Servants ◽

Street Level ◽

Public Sector Organization ◽

New Public

The notion of performance is central in all the modernization processes that have been conducted during the last 20 years, notably under the New Public Management (NPM) movement. Since the models and notions of performance analysed in research nearly always reflect the vision of top management, this article proposes to consider the vision of personnel at the street level, specifically Swiss civil servants. A highly capable public sector organization, focused on efficiency, quality services provided for the citizens and outcomes needs motivated employees to achieve these ambitious objectives. But how is `performance' perceived by civil servants without any management responsibilities? Using the typology of Boltanksi and Thévenot, the article highlights several reference worlds to which civil servants refer when speaking of performance, revealing the dominant influence of the industrial world over that of the civic world, with the domestic and commercial worlds placed third and fourth in importance, respectively. It details the evolution of performance as seen by civil servants, allowing us to better understand their reactions when faced with the transformations under way as well as the identity crisis caused by the contradictory worlds they currently face. Points for practitioners Under the NPM-banner, performance management has been introduced in almost every public sector organization. Performance must be clearly operationalized at all levels of the hierarchy, which is a difficult process because NPM has introduced new values that potentially conflict with traditional public sector values. This article highlights and analyses the way Swiss civil servants at the street level perceive performance, providing useful insight into their dominant value framework. Their perception of a `highly capable public sector' must be set against actual standards in order to achieve a shared vision of the main dimensions and criteria of performance, a prerequisite for effectiveness in every performance management system.

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