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Policy implementation and refugee settlement: The perceptions and experiences of street-level bureaucrats in Launceston, Tasmania
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 16:08 authored by Ivan JamesIvan James, Roberta JulianRoberta JulianThe roles played by professional frontline service providers in the implementation of refugee settlement policy in Australia have not been researched in depth. Australia plays a leading part in settling 18,740 refugees annually. This qualitative investigation interviewed 20 professionals engaged in this activity in Launceston, Tasmania and employed Lipsky’s concept of ‘street-level bureaucrats’ to explicate their decision-making processes as they implemented public policy. The findings suggest that the majority of participants contextualised and individualised the delivery of benefits and services. In doing so, their worldviews, values, and professional experience led them to ‘turn a blind eye’, ‘bend the rules’, or even engage in bureaucratic versions of guerrilla warfare to achieve what they believed to be the best outcome for their clients. This research is significant because it demonstrates that street-level bureaucrats may escape the constraints of neoliberal managerialism by exercising creative beneficent discretion that aligns with policy objectives.
History
Publication title
Journal of SociologyPagination
1-19ISSN
1440-7833Department/School
School of Social SciencesPublisher
Sage Publications Ltd.Place of publication
United KingdomRights statement
Copyright 2020 The AuthorsRepository Status
- Restricted