Abstract
The public administration literature has long observed the efforts of street-level bureaucrats to actively represent the clients with whom they share a social or demographic identity. However, it has not examined the responses that street-level bureaucrats receive when they represent minorities and how these responses shape how they use discretion in implementing policies. We explore these issues empirically through in-depth interviews with 23 Israeli Arab social and community workers and 32 Israeli LGBTQ+ teachers. This exploratory study reveals the variety of reactions that street-level bureaucrats encounter when representing minorities. Furthermore, it highlights the significant role of reactions from clients and organizations in encouraging, reducing, or impeding the efforts of minority street-level bureaucrats to represent those with whom they share an identity, which, in turn, underscores the importance of external responses for confirming and legitimizing active representation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 151-162 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | American Review of Public Administration |
Volume | 54 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2023.
Keywords
- LGBTQ+
- active representation
- minority groups
- representative bureaucracy
- street-level bureaucrats
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Public Administration
- Marketing