Research Seminar : Challenges of Street-Level Bureaucracy research à UCL-Mons

Street-level bureaucrats are public officials interacting with citizens. Street-level bureaucracy (SBL) research has three main areas of interest. First, street-level bureaucrats hold some discretionary power in making decisions regarding citizens. SLB researchers look at the impact of this discretion on the implementation of policies ‘on the ground’ (e.g., changing the actual effect of initial policy decisions). Second, street-level bureaucrats are confronted with various work constraints and requirements. SLB research looks at the nature, factors, and consequences of the mechanisms they develop to cope with those constraints and requirements (e.g., routinizing tasks or prioritizing citizens). Third, street-level bureaucrats work in a given organizational context, under supervision of first-line managers, and in frequent contact with their colleagues. SLB research examines the effect of this context on streetlevel bureaucrats’ professional values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors (e.g., how first-line managers can facilitate the work of street-level bureaucrats).

Street-level justice’, a research program about officers-citizens interactions in the judicial sector, is developed at the Institut de Sciences Politiques Louvain-Europe by Drs. S. Moyson & N. Schiffino-Leclercq. In this context, they have invited two experts working on this topic: Dr. S. Maynard-Moody (Kansas University) & Dr. J. de Maillard (Université de Versailles). They will discuss the future of theory-building and research methodology in street-level bureaucracy research on the basis of their empirical inquiries, especially about police officers. Their presentations will be discussed by Dr. D. Aubin (Université catholique de Louvain). At the end of the presentations, participants will be warmly invited to ask questions related to their own research about officialscitizens interactions to the experts. Any junior/senior researcher or student interested in officials-citizens interactions, regardless of the sector, should be interested in this seminar. 

Participation is free but registration is compulsory by February 2018, 12th: Vinciane Claus