Coping and Agent-State and Agent-Citizen Narratives

Proceeding the Street-Level Bureaucrats in the Implementation of Public Policies in the Brazilian Context

Abstract

This study aims to identify and discuss the coping strategies used by street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) and how these strategies influence public policy implementation in the Brazilian context. It also seeks to determine which of these narratives are adopted by the bureaucrats: state-agent or citizen-agent. The research is grounded in the concepts of "coping" and "state-agent and citizen-agent narratives" found in the literature on public policy implementation, viewed through the lens of Street-Level Bureaucracy Theory. This is a qualitative study based on bibliographic research, which involves reviewing empirical works on the Brazilian context and theoretical literature from both national and international sources to support the discussion of the findings. The results indicate that, within the Brazilian context, there are relational and contextual aspects, as well as normative and institutional parameters, that influence the development of coping mechanisms by street-level bureaucrats, and these mechanisms determine which narrative the SLB will adopt. Propositions were formulated, and an analytical framework was established to guide the analysis and interpretation of coping behaviors and narratives in the public policy implementation process, as well as to identify relevant questions for future research. The study integrates the constructs of coping and state-agent/citizen-agent narratives, suggesting that these structures can interact and are fundamental to SLB behavior. It deepens the theoretical analysis of coping mechanisms and the state-agent/citizen-agent narratives adopted by SLBs, arguing that these two constructs can be studied through the lens of Street-Level Bureaucracy Theory.