Street-level bureaucrats are characterized by severe workloads, conflicting demands, and limitations in resources such as time and money. Additionally, street-level bureaucrats have discretionary...Show moreStreet-level bureaucrats are characterized by severe workloads, conflicting demands, and limitations in resources such as time and money. Additionally, street-level bureaucrats have discretionary space that possibly allows for poor interpretation and judgement of a certain situation, due to stereotype-use. This thesis investigates how social class stereotypes are used in the interpretation of Dutch psychologists of depressive disorder symptoms during a client’s first intake. This is investigated through a qualitative vignette study. The analysis shows that social class stereotypes are activated differently per social class. Psychologists use social class stereotypes to explain the client’s situation when it regarded a client from a high social class. Social class stereotypes are used as a determinant for a client’s treatment when it regarded a client from a low social class. These findings support previous research on the workings of social class stereotypes, as well as the theoretical understanding of stereotypes in general.Show less
This study explores the relationship between street-level bureaucrats’ role conceptions and the ambiguity inherent to their work. Street-level bureaucrats are not neutral servants of the states,...Show moreThis study explores the relationship between street-level bureaucrats’ role conceptions and the ambiguity inherent to their work. Street-level bureaucrats are not neutral servants of the states, but have their own perceptions of what their work entails, i.e. role conceptions. As a result, they occupy their role differently even if they, technically, have the same job description. The perspective of street-level bureaucrats is adopted to explore whether they experience ambiguity differently due to difference in role conception. Additionally, it is explored how the street-level bureaucrats act in response to their experience of ambiguity. To ensure a theoretical foundation, broad expectations are formulated on the basis of existing literature. By means of a qualitative interview study, 10 street-level bureaucrats are interviewed. The street-level bureaucrats mostly experience ambiguity as expected from their role conceptions. Some experience ambiguity as undesirable and aim to minimalize it, while others experience ambiguity as desirable and want to make good use of it. Regarding the acts in response to ambiguity, it can be cautiously said that street-level bureaucrats acts in response to ambiguity in line with their role conception. Recommendations are made for future research, to eventually contribute to better coordination between organizations and street-level bureaucrats, which would ultimately also benefit citizens.Show less
This thesis explores the coping mechanisms street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) adopt to cope with patients who believe or share a form of mis- or disinformation. This is done by looking at two types of...Show moreThis thesis explores the coping mechanisms street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) adopt to cope with patients who believe or share a form of mis- or disinformation. This is done by looking at two types of street-level bureaucrats: health workers and teachers. Although health workers and teachers are often exposed to encounters where a patient believes or shares a form of mis- or disinformation and it is recognized that street-level bureaucrats have considerate discretion and can act as policymakers (Lipsky, 2010), the current literature has not taken SLBs into consideration with misinformation and disinformation yet. During the current pandemic, an excessive amount of misinformation and disinformation spreads on social media, and in today’s digital society it has become rather difficult to identify fake news (Vermanen, 2020)(Deprez, 2020). The spreading and belief in mis- and disinformation can have harmful consequences for democracy, public health, and societies' trust in science (Diepstraten, 2021). Through a qualitative analysis consisting of interviews and (media) documents, the results presented in this explored that SLBs adopt a wide variety of coping mechanisms. The findings of this study suggest that SLBs their coping mechanisms for clients who believe or share misinformation and disinformation are more similar than one expected beforehand and that the type of encounter is more important than the type of SLB. The results of this study can provide valuable insights into how SLBs can cope with mis- and disinformation, ultimately contributing to combatting and preventing the spread and belief in mis- and disinformation.Show less
The following is a qualitative comparative study seeking to explore the impact that structure could have on the overall effectiveness of a network in a post-disaster setting. The analysis is based...Show moreThe following is a qualitative comparative study seeking to explore the impact that structure could have on the overall effectiveness of a network in a post-disaster setting. The analysis is based on the framework provided by Provan and Kenis (2007) which details the critical contingencies to consider when creating a network as well as the tensions that networks are typically faced with. The paper is anchored in Lebanon after the August 4th 2020 disaster and focuses on two networks formed to provide much needed relief at a time when the government was unable to do so. The networks chose different governing structure to guide their efforts leading to diverging levels of effectiveness.Show less
Street-level bureaucrats are characterized with discretionary power as a result of which they develop coping mechanisms. Consequently, street-level bureaucrats are often led by stereotypes, which...Show moreStreet-level bureaucrats are characterized with discretionary power as a result of which they develop coping mechanisms. Consequently, street-level bureaucrats are often led by stereotypes, which serve in reducing the uncertainty of a situation. Besides, research indicates that street-level bureaucrats tend to use double standards when interpreting signals from citizens of different social classes. However, whether this is limited to uncertain situations remains unknown. This thesis investigates how double standards affect teachers’ interpretation of child abuse signals, and how information uncertainty plays a role. A qualitative vignette study is used to investigate how teachers interpret child abuse signals from a high social class family and from a low social class family. In addition, it is investigated how the degree of uncertainty of these signals influences the presumed use of double standards by teachers. The analysis shows that teachers indeed use double standards when interpreting signals of child abuse. When the family belongs to a low social class, the teachers are inclined to take more drastic measures than when the family belongs to a high social class. This difference gets smaller as the degree of uncertainty decreases. Moreover, teachers appear to reason differently about a family from a high social class than about a family from a low social class. Teachers also seem to use double standards for uncertainty, as one bruise is seen as an uncertain signal for a family from a high social class and as a more certain signal for a family from a low social class. In addition, the value teachers attach to a child's statement also seems to influence their interpretation of uncertainty. Finally, teachers experience various obstacles that complicate identifying and reporting child abuse, as a result of which they experience even more uncertainty. This thesis contributes to academic literature on street-level bureaucrats and the double standard theory.Show less
Like many other European welfare states, the Netherlands decentralized its social care policy towards Dutch municipalities, to enhance client-tailored approaches within the delivery of social care...Show moreLike many other European welfare states, the Netherlands decentralized its social care policy towards Dutch municipalities, to enhance client-tailored approaches within the delivery of social care services. As a result, social workers working for municipalities are now in charge of freely interpreting and engaging in client-tailoring in a manner they deem best for their cases. Given that social workers inhabit various role conceptions, this research focuses on how social workers’ role conceptions impact the manner in which they define and pursue client-tailoring. To analyse this, this qualitative research conducted twelve in-depth interviews with Dutch social workers from different municipalities and social care domains: income and employment reintegration processes, long-term care, youth care and social assistance. The data-analysis, and results and findings of this study show how inhabiting various role conceptions affect how client-tailoring is defined and pursued.Show less
