The weight of service delivery: administrative and rules burdens in street-level bureaucracy
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| Author | Cristina M. Stanica,Dan Balica,Alexander C. Henderson,Tudor C. Ţiclău |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852319895095 |
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
The weight of service
delivery: administrative
and rules burdens in
street-level bureaucracy
Cristina M. Stanica
Northeastern University, USA
Dan Balica
Zalando SE, Romania
Alexander C. Henderson
Marist College, USA
Tudor C. T¸ icl
au
Babes
,-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Abstract
This article explores the factors that shape perceptions of administrative and rules
burdens among street-level bureaucrats in Romania. Recent research examining the
concept of administrative burden has focused on burdens experienced by a citizen
or client. We argue here that national context shapes the features of public service
delivery, and that burdens must also be understood from the perspective of bureau-
crats in transitioning post-communist countries. Street-level bureaucrats represent an
important category of public servants given their main characteristics in implementing
policy. Findings of two analyses—one examining broader concepts of administrative
burden and one looking at the narrower concept of rules burdens—indicate that rule
complexity, autonomy, conformity, job satisfaction, educational attainment, and
perceived corruption impact perceptions of administrative burden, while perceptions
of rules burdens are impacted by rule-abiding tendencies, discretionary latitude, job
satisfaction, organizational commitment, and supervisory status.
Corresponding author:
Cristina M. Stanica, 55 Lincoln Street, Unit 45, Malden, Massachusetts 02148, USA.
Email: c.stanica@northeastern.edu
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
!The Author(s) 2020
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852319895095
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2022, Vol. 88(1) 240–257
Points for practitioners
A major practical implication of this study derives from our findings on the factors that
impact attitudes and perceptions of street-level bureaucrats in Romania. Managers that
aim to improve public service delivery in this context will be able to disseminate the
fact that reduced rule complexity and increased autonomy, among other organizational
variables, positively impact perceptions on administrative and rules burdens. In this
sense, our study provides evidence for new and current structures to improve
organizational performance and service delivery.
Keywords
administrative burden, Romania, rules burdens, street-level bureaucracy
Introduction
Street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) are the face of public organizations, serving in
positions that require expertise and an ability to reconcile rules and situations
while exercising discretion. Bureaucrats must consider service recipient needs
and the appropriateness of rules, and act in situations characterized by informa-
tion asymmetry and without supervision. Existing research in this area has
examined issues of discretion, decision-making, organizational and occupational
culture, and the nature of the political and administrative context (Maynard-
Moody and Musheno, 2003; Riccucci, 2005). However, much of this literature
has neglected the unique context of street-level public services in transitioning
post-communist countries, where rules, behavior, context, organizational charac-
teristics, and expectations for service are different (Hall, 2004). This article focuses
on important aspects of front-line work—the perceptions of both administrative
and rules burdens—among SLBs in Romania.
Recent research has examined the concept of “administrative burden” as a
central aspect of a citizen’s experience with a government or contracted bureau-
cratic function (Heinrich, 2016; Herd et al., 2013; Jilke et al., 2018; Moynihan
et al., 2014). We argue that it is important to understand the concept of adminis-
trative burden from the perspectives of those who provide services (Burden et al.,
2012). This research focus is especially important in Romania, which is a unique
setting given the combination of a legalist approach to public services, institutional
design, and political cultures. A recent study by Henderson, Ticlau, and Balica
(2017) revealed that SLBs in Romania enjoy a high level of discretion, highlighting
the importance of this area of inquiry given the discretionary latitude and poor
regulatory quality that governs day-to-day activity.
Concepts of perceived work-related burdens are important in examining front-
line professions as both the myriad sources of influence that shape bureaucratic
behavior and individual responses are magnified. May and Winter (2007) note that
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Stanica et al.
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