Introduction
The street-level bureaucracy theory is one of the most prominent approaches within public administration that permits one to demonstrate the fallacy of neoliberals judgments. It was developed in the late 1970s by Michael Lipsky, and is most reasonably described in the Street-level bureaucracy: dilemmas of the individual in public services. The book educates that the category of officials possesses two distinctive characteristics: they work directly with the clients of public institutions and have tremendous freedom to exercise their powers simultaneously.
Discussion
The author deduces a common analogy to all street bureaucrats despite a wide range of heterogeneous occupations. Each of them has to deal with the same issue: how to solve the unique concerns with limited resources (Lipsky, 2010). The hardship is superimposed on the desire of supervisors to control bureaucrats, which restates the need to write numerous reports. The willingness to comply with these indicators is often contrary to the interests of clients and society nevertheless, facilitates the work of directors.
The critical point is that the leading cause of inefficiency in social service delivery is an inadequate ratio of public policy goals to the funds provided for their implementation. In this case, workers optimize these resources often to the detriment of the interests of those for whom they work. It may occur since neoliberal policy creates ineffective managers under the guise of fighting the abundance of officials (Lipsky, 2010). Consequently, spending on bureaucrats remains identical, and the efficiency of social welfare decreases.
Conclusion
The theory of street bureaucrats stimulates a debate about ways to increase the efficiency of public services. The first may involve reforming the system from the above. It is essential to make street bureaucrats more autonomous from managers and, conversely, increase their dependence on customers. The second method is more multifaceted and involves transformations from below. It may consist of the construction of professional associations of responsible street bureaucrats. Thus, the book Street-level Bureaucracy: dilemmas of the Individual in public services allows one to recognize the hardships and consider the ways to solve them.
Reference
Lipsky, M. (2010). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. Sage.