Does Core Task Matter for Decision-Making? A Comparative Case Study on Whether Differences in Job Characteristics Affect Discretionary Street-Level Decision-Making

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 1125-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didde Cramer Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Job Characteristics ◽  
Systematic Variation ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Street Level Bureaucrats

This article sets out to test the hypothesis that differences in fundamental job characteristics (service vs. regulation) affect discretionary street-level decision-making. The hypothesis was tested by examining whether systematic variation could be found in the moral assessments on which street-level bureaucrats performing different types of core tasks base their decisions. The issue was addressed in a comparative case study comprising three institutions, which differ systematically as far as variables of tasks are concerned. Findings showed that differences in core tasks do affect discretionary decision-making, as divergent moral assessments determine and justify decision-making across different core tasks.

Mafia infiltration, public administration and local institutions: A comparative study in Northern Italy

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 540-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joselle Dagnes ◽  
Davide Donatiello ◽  
Valentina Moiso ◽  
Davide Pellegrino ◽  
Rocco Sciarrone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Local Institutions ◽  
Opportunity Structure ◽  
Different Types

Nuanced explanations of the factors underpinning the mafia’s movements across territories have recently been proposed. However, more light must be shed on the mechanisms through which mafiosi try to infiltrate the legal economy in non-traditional territories. Accordingly, this study aims to micro-found interactions and exchanges that mainly involve mafiosi, politicians and economic actors in expansion areas. Focusing on the local level, we will show how the misuse of several administrative tools generates a profitable opportunity structure for mafiosi. To this end, we present an in-depth comparative case study of three events involving the construction industry that took place in Northern Italy. The main findings show that: (i) mafiosi are skilled at smoothing social relations, enlarging and consolidating opaque networks predating their arrival; (ii) they give rise to different types of mutual exchanges and network structures.

The Heterogeneous Nature of Urban Poor Families

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Salcedo ◽  
Alejandra Rasse
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Poor Families ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Different Cultures

This paper addresses the scholarly debate on cultural homogeneity or heterogeneity of urban poor families. While authors such as Lewis (1959) or Wacquant (2000 ; 2001) claim that structural disadvantages are linked to a particular type of identity or culture, others such as Hannerz (1969) , Anderson (1999 ; 2002) , or Portes ( Portes and Manning, 1986 ; Portes and Jensen, 1989 ) believe that it is possible to find different behaviors, expectations, decision–making processes, and outcomes among people living in seemingly identical structural conditions ( Small et al., 2010 ). Using Santiago, Chile, as a case study, we differentiate five different cultures or identities among the poor. Those identities seem to be the product of different historical and political circumstances, as well as of different types of public policies. The paper ends with a discussion of the need for poverty reduction policies to consider these differences among the poor.

Das Chamäleon-Modell als Erklärungsmuster für die Organisationsstrukturen von Unternehmerfamilien

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rena Haftlmeier-Seiffert ◽  
Sven Cravotta
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
Family Organization ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Multiple Case

Zusammenfassung Offensichtlich sind es die Unternehmerfamilien, die ihrem Familienunternehmen eine besondere wirtschaftliche Stabilität verleihen. Dies ist allerdings nur möglich, wenn sie sicherstellen, dass sie stets handlungs- und entscheidungsfähig sind. Die hier verfolgte Forschungsfrage lautet deshalb: Wie organisieren Unternehmerfamilien ihre Entscheidungsfähigkeit? Das Chamäleon-Modell zeigt, dass bei Unternehmerfamilien verschiedene Organisationsformen latent vorhanden sind. Diese werden flexibel eingesetzt, je nachdem, was zielführend ist, um schnell zu tragfähigen Entscheidungen zu gelangen. D.h. die Unternehmerfamilienorganisation wechselt also ihre explizite Organisationsform wie ein Chamäleon die Farbe. Das Chamäleon-Modell wurde aus einer multiplen Fallstudie entwickelt, bei der vier traditionsreiche Unternehmerfamilien intensiv untersucht wurden. Abstract Apparently, it is the family that grants outstanding economic stability to the family business. However, this is only possible, if the family ensures to be always capable of acting and of making decisions. This leads us to the following research question: How do entrepreneurial families organize their decision-making ability? The Chameleon Model shows, that there are different types of organization latent available for entrepreneurial families. These are used flexibly, depending on what is leading to quick and stable decisions. That is to say, the entrepreneurial family organization changes the explicit organization form like a chameleon the colour. The Chameleon Model was developed from a multiple case study, analyzing four traditional entrepreneurial families in depth.

Poll Worker Decision Making at the American Ballot Box

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 714-718
Author(s):  
Mara Suttmann-Lea
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Matching Law ◽  
Election Law ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Signature Matching ◽  
American Elections ◽  
Street Level Bureaucrats ◽  
The City ◽  
Depth Interviews

Street-level bureaucrats set the terms for policy implementation and often operate under limited oversight. In American elections, poll workers are the street-level bureaucrats tasked with implementing a jurisdiction’s laws for verifying voter eligibility. Using in-depth interviews with 24 poll workers from the city of Chicago, this article assesses how poll workers make decisions about voter eligibility under Illinois’ signature-matching law. Respondents discussed a range of considerations used when they examine voter eligibility. The evidence I present suggests they rely on personal perspectives and experiences in their evaluations. Respondents also offered a range of responses for how they would proceed in the instance of a mismatching signature—including requesting voters provide identification even though it is not a requirement in Illinois unless a voter is challenged. Broadly, these results illustrate how poll workers’ subjective interpretations of election law shape their decisions and can lead to idiosyncratic applications of election law.

Risk Classification Systems and the Provision of Juvenile Aftercare

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Maupin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Risk Classification ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Parole Officers ◽  
Classification Score ◽  
Street Level Bureaucrats ◽  
Juvenile Parole

Juvenile aftercare decision-making systems that classify parolees according to perceived risk and needs are designed to render uniform the treatment of these individuals by juvenile parole officials. This article analyzes a system implemented by Arizona to determine if the intensity of supervision received by parolees differs as a function of classification score. Supervision of a random sample of 280 parolees was tracked for 90 days. The analysis indicates that intensity of supervision does not differ based on the classification score, suggesting that the instrument does not control the decision making of the street-level bureaucrats, the parole officers.

Polysemous Features of Words of Perception in English, Chinese and Korean—A Case Study of mouth, 嘴/口 and입

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 2002
Author(s):  
Chengyu Nan
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Korean Language ◽  
Physiological Phenomenon ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Physical Features

Typologically, English, Chinese and Korean belong to three different types of language. English is inflectional, Chinese is isolating and Korean is agglutinative. Therefore, words of perception in these three languages show some different semantic features. But due to similar physical features and physiological phenomenon, people speaking English, Chinese or Korean language use the same word of perception to express the same meaning or feeling. This paper makes a comparative case study of mouth, 嘴/口 and입, which have rich polysemous features. Their meanings are extended from “the part of human body” to the concrete “entrance” or “person” and then to the abstract “speech act” or “way of speaking”. The meaning extension shows semantic symmetry and asymmetry both interlingually and intralingually in the expressions not only with mouth, 嘴/口 and입 and other words of perception in three languages.

scholarly journals New approach to decision making by multiple criteria analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 146 ◽  
pp. 01002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Vanicek ◽  
Jana Kucerova
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Multiple Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Decision Processes ◽  
Multiple Criteria ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Multiple Criteria Evaluation

Many decision processes in technical and economical sciences require multiple criteria decision making. The most widely applied methods for multiple criteria evaluation of alternatives are based on the evaluation of alternatives in terms of an additive preference function. All of them require the estimation of weights of usually conflicting criteria. There are several methods how to find the weights of the criteria and how to find the evaluation of each solution in each criterion. The decision process based on simple weighted sum of values may not be the best approach in all situations. This paper contains a new approach of the evaluation of measured value set by different mathematical operators than the usually used multiple criteria evaluation methods. The approach was applied in a case study for multiple criteria evaluation. Generally, this new decision-support tool can help in various situations where different types of effects caused by a construction or reconstruction can occur. This is a very frequent situation in dealing with building defects, too.

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