Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this paper is to examine the consequences of e-government technology on the professional task of street-level bureaucrats in citizen service.
Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on an ethnographic study of frontline work in a citizen service center in a Danish local government, and draws on empirical material generated through observations, field notes, interviews and policy documents. The material is documenting how service is performed by frontline agents in the ‘bureaucratic encounter’ with citizens, who needs assistance to use digital self-service in order to apply online for a public benefit.
Findings: The paper shows that e-government technology changes the mode of professionalism in citizen service from service to support. The paper gives an empirical account of recent Danish digital reforms and shows how the reforms both enable and constrain the work of ‘becoming digital’ by frontline agents. Overall the street-level bureaucrat’s classical tasks such as specialized casework are being displaced into promoting and educational tasks. An implication of this is blurred distinctions between professional skills and personal competences of the frontline agent. In the paper, I argue that ‘becoming digital’ entail two entangled displacements in the work of frontline agents in citizen service: 1) De-specialization of the task and 2) strategic informality in relation to citizens.
Originality/value: The findings contribute to ethnographic research in public administration by combining two separated subfields; e-government and street level bureaucracy in order to capture recent technological transformations of public service delivery. The study identifies how e-government affects the service encounter and how new technologies are implemented by frontline agents. The argument goes beyond technological or social determinism and finds a fruitful interme-diary position pointing at technological change as having both constraining and enabling effects.
Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on an ethnographic study of frontline work in a citizen service center in a Danish local government, and draws on empirical material generated through observations, field notes, interviews and policy documents. The material is documenting how service is performed by frontline agents in the ‘bureaucratic encounter’ with citizens, who needs assistance to use digital self-service in order to apply online for a public benefit.
Findings: The paper shows that e-government technology changes the mode of professionalism in citizen service from service to support. The paper gives an empirical account of recent Danish digital reforms and shows how the reforms both enable and constrain the work of ‘becoming digital’ by frontline agents. Overall the street-level bureaucrat’s classical tasks such as specialized casework are being displaced into promoting and educational tasks. An implication of this is blurred distinctions between professional skills and personal competences of the frontline agent. In the paper, I argue that ‘becoming digital’ entail two entangled displacements in the work of frontline agents in citizen service: 1) De-specialization of the task and 2) strategic informality in relation to citizens.
Originality/value: The findings contribute to ethnographic research in public administration by combining two separated subfields; e-government and street level bureaucracy in order to capture recent technological transformations of public service delivery. The study identifies how e-government affects the service encounter and how new technologies are implemented by frontline agents. The argument goes beyond technological or social determinism and finds a fruitful interme-diary position pointing at technological change as having both constraining and enabling effects.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 12 Aug 2014 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Aug 2014 |