Street-Level Bureaucracy
일선관료제 이론
A seminal public policy theory showing that frontline workers (teachers, police, social workers) holding high discretionary power under chronic resource constraints effectively determine public policy delivery.
| Field | Political Science · Sociology |
|---|---|
| Level of analysis | Micro · Individual |
| Paradigm | Institutionalism Symbolic Interactionism |
| Key figures | 👤 Michael Lipsky (마이클 립스키) |
| Year | 1980 |
Key Claims
Michael Lipsky revealed that public policy is actually made not in legislative halls, but in the daily routines and coping mechanisms of frontline public servants. Operating with wide discretion under unmanageable workloads, street-level bureaucrats categorize clients and ration services, directly shaping citizens’ experience of the state.
Further Reading
- Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-Level Bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the Individual in Public Services. Russell Sage Foundation.
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