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Beyond Markets: Sociology, street‐level bureaucracy, and the management of the public sector

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  • Michael J. Piore

Abstract

This article extends the concept of street‐level bureaucracy to address the problem of the inflexibility and rigidity of governmental rules and regulations, a problem at the heart of the standard economic argument against an active government role in the management of the economy. In so doing, it seeks to create a conceptual bridge over which a range of social science disciplines can be drawn into the debate about public sector management and thereby expand the repertoire of policy tools. The article draws primarily on research on one class of street‐level bureaucratic organizations, labor inspection organizations in Latin America and southern Europe, and secondarily on a project focusing on DARPA, the research arm of the US Department of Defense. In both organizations, line officers have wide discretion in program development and management and in effect adjust to changing economic and social conditions in a way not unlike the market. These adjustments are grounded in tacit rules that evolve through discussion among the line agents coping day‐to‐day with novel cases. Management can influence that evolution by entering into the ongoing discussion and giving it direction. Various ways in which it might do so are examined.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael J. Piore, 2011. "Beyond Markets: Sociology, street‐level bureaucracy, and the management of the public sector," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(1), pages 145-164, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:reggov:v:5:y:2011:i:1:p:145-164
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-5991.2010.01098.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fabian Muniesa & Dominique Linhardt, 2009. "At stake with implementation: trials of explicitness in the description of the state," Working Papers halshs-00362285, HAL.
    2. Michael J. PIORE & Andrew SCHRANK, 2008. "Toward managed flexibility: The revival of labour inspection in the Latin world," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 147(1), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Angela Dean & Susan Lewis (ed.), 2006. "Screening," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-0-387-28014-1, January.
    4. Susan S. Silbey & Ruthanne Huising & Salo V. Coslovsky, 2009. "The Sociological Citizen : Recognizing Relational Interdependence in Law and Organizations," Post-Print hal-02311931, HAL.
    5. Fabian Muniesa & Dominique Linhardt, 2009. "At stake with implementation: trials of explicitness in the description of the state," CSI Working Papers Series 015, Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation (CSI), Mines ParisTech.
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    Cited by:

    1. Luisina Perelmiter, 2022. "“Fairness” in an unequal society: Welfare workers, labor inspectors and the embedded moralities of street‐level bureaucracy in Argentina," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(1), pages 85-94, February.
    2. Yong Ye & Yulan Lin & Xiaojun Zhang & Yifen Liu & Ziqiang Han, 2024. "Public Servants’ Accountability Pressure When Facing the Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Accountability Awareness," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(4), pages 21582440241, November.
    3. Sagi Gershgoren & Nissim Cohen, 2023. "Does appealability foster more citizen‐friendly decisions at the street level?," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(4), pages 1058-1075, October.
    4. Summer Rachel Jackson & Katherine Cissel Kellogg, 2023. "Triadic Advocacy Work," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(1), pages 456-483, January.
    5. Grigoriadis, Konstantinos, 2026. "From Pressures to Practice: A Dynamic Mediation Framework for Street-Level Bureaucracy," SocArXiv jb5dy_v1, Center for Open Science.

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