“They Are Underpaid and Understaffed”: How Clients Interpret Encounters with Street-Level Bureaucrats
通过对85名儿童保育补贴领取者的定性研究，运用归因理论分析客户如何解释行政负担，发现客户要么归咎于官僚个人，要么归咎于制度系统，这影响其未来申请、对政府的看法和政治参与。
Scholars have explored the nature and consequences of administrative burden but less is known about how citizens interpret costly encounters with the state. This qualitative study of 85 child care subsidy recipients applies attribution theory from psychology to illustrate how clients develop causal explanations for administrative burden. The findings show that clients either blamed negative experiences on bureaucrats—viewing workers as in control of their behavior, or the bureaucracy—blaming factors related to the subsidy system. In rare instances, clients viewed the bureaucracy as intentionally discouraging claims. We observed some variation by race/ethnicity and study sites. Examining clients’ causal explanations of administrative burden helps clarify how clients’ interpretation of costly bureaucratic encounters influences future claims, their perceptions of the state, and their political participation.