How citizens’ dissatisfaction with street-level bureaucrats’ exercise of discretion leads to the alternative supply of public services: the case of Israeli marriage registrars
| Author | Niva Golan-Nadir,Nissim Cohen,Aviad Rubin |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0020852320972177 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
How citizens’
dissatisfaction with
street-level bureaucrats’
exercise of discretion
leads to the alternative
supply of public services:
the case of Israeli
marriage registrars
Niva Golan-Nadir
University of Haifa, Israel
Nissim Cohen
University of Haifa, Israel
Aviad Rubin
University of Haifa, Israel
Abstract
Can street-level bureaucrats’ exercise of discretion lead to clients’ dissatisfaction with
policy implementation? If so, under what conditions could such disaffection lead to the
alternative supply of public services? Building on Albert Hirschman’s model of exit,
voice, and loyalty, this article contributes to the literature by pointing to street-level
bureaucrats’ exercise of discretion as influencing citizens’ dissatisfaction with policy
implementation. We identify three main elements—personal, organizational, and envi-
ronmental—influencing discretion informally, causing clients’ dissatisfaction. We also
point to a combination of three conditions triggering the creation of an alternative
supply of services: (1) citizens’ dissatisfaction with policy implementation; (2) street-level
Corresponding author:
Niva Golan-Nadir,School of Political Science, Division of Public Administration and Policy, University of Haifa,
199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel.
Email: ngolan10@campus.haifa.ac.il
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
!The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852320972177
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2022, Vol. 88(4) 977–994
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
bureaucrats’ monopoly over policy implementation because only one supplier exists;
and (3) clients’ perceptions of participation channels as blocked. Using a qualitative case
study approach, we test our claims by analyzing the case of Israeli marriage registrars.
We demonstrate how Israeli citizens’ dissatisfaction with how government bureaucrats
implement marriage regulations led to the creation of the Tzohar non-governmental
organization that provides alternative marriage services.
Points for practitioners
In situations in which street-level bureaucrats have a monopoly over policy implemen-
tation and citizens feel they cannot exercise their voice about that implementation, their
dissatisfaction with how street-level bureaucrats use their discretion in implementing the
policy may eventually lead to the creation of alternative sources of public services.
Keywords
alternative supply channels, discretion, street-level bureaucrats
Introduction
What do people do when they are dissatisfied with public products and services?
Based on Albert Hirschman’s (1970, 1993) theoretical concepts of exit,voice, and
loyalty, they may: choose the voice option, meaning they will demand better out-
comes; use the exit option and simply leave the firm offering the product; or remain
loyal even if they are unhappy. The choice between these alternatives depends on
the existence of an exit option. If it does not exist, they may seek an alternative
source of public goods and services. The alternative supply of public goods and
services is a worldwide phenomenon (Minow, 2003; Narrod et al., 2009; Shleifer,
1998). It refers to individuals and groups who are dissatisfied with policy outcomes
and feel they cannot change them through civil participation. Hence, they use
various strategies to satisfy their pressing desire for public services outside the
established government institutions (Cohen, 2012). A careful reading of these stud-
ies reveals that the consensus among scholars is that the source of the alternative
supply of public services is rooted in dissatisfaction with the formal policy as
designed by high-level decision-makers. In other words, the dissatisfaction lays
in the instructions on how services ought to be designed (Cohen, 2012; Cohen
and Filc, 2017). Furthermore, this literature focuses on dissatisfaction as the inde-
pendent variable. However, it has not yet explored the possibility that street-level
bureaucrats’ exercise of discretion in implementing policy may cause citizens’
dissatisfaction as the dependent variable.
Adding to this view, we ask: Can street-level bureaucrats’ exercise of discretion
lead to clients’ dissatisfaction with policy implementation? Hence, our primary
goal is to explore the possibility that the discretion that street-level bureaucrats
978 International Review of Administrative Sciences 88(4)
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