How Management Matters ─ Street-level Bureaucrats And Welfare Reform

One of the primary changes intended by the passage of the 1996 federal welfare reform law (officially the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act) was to change the role of frontline welfare workers from eligibility determiners to employment coaches. Riccucci (public administration, Rutgers U.) presents her research about what actually happened. It appears that public managers in welfare offices were effective in signaling the expected changes to frontline workers, but the professional norms, work customs and occupational culture of the workers may have prevented them from completely following the signals they received. Riccucci offers explanations for this situation and also some practical solutions. Annotation c2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Norma M. Riccucci is a professor in the Graduate Department of Public Administration at Rutgers University, Newark; and author ofManaging Diversity in Public Sector Workforces and Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference.