The struggle for linking strategic and front-line outcomes in local government service delivery

Joyce Liddle and Steven Parker

Local Government Studies, 2024, vol. 50, issue 6, 1084-1093

Abstract: Over the last 50 years, there has been a transition in articulating local government service delivery, from replacing output-based terminology to an outcomes-based approach. This is understandable given the move from traditional public administration to an increasingly marketised landscape. However, there is a gap between the higher-level strategic outcome lens compared with outcomes pursued by local government street level bureaucrats focusing on casework. Whereas strategic outcomes are positioned at population, target focused or place-based data, at the frontline outcomes are built on personal relationships which emphasise emotional factors. In this paper, we consider the growth of an outcomes-based approach in local government. We also discuss the extent to which the strategic and street level outcome levels can be linked, examining some of the potential mechanisms available to do so and considering whether the ongoing tensions can ever be resolved. We conclude by considering implications for academia in addressing these challenges.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2024.2407011

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