Den viktigaste lagen inom socialtjänsten på enhet ekonomiskt bistånd är ramlagen socialtjänstlagen (2001:453). Utifrån socialtjänstlagen kan socialsekreterarna på enhet ekonomiskt bistånd dokumentera, bedöma, utreda och ta ett beslut gällande rätten till olika slags bistånd för enskilda individer. För att socialsekreterarna skall kunna fatta olika beslut på ett korrekt sätt måste detta göras utifrån ett rättssäkerhetsperspektiv, då det handlar om påverkandet av andra individers ekonomiska och sociala situation. Uppsatsen syftar till att förstå hur socialsekreterarna i sin yrkesroll upplever att dokumentera, bedöma och utreda rätten till ekonomiskt bistånd, ur ett rättssäkerhetsperspektiv och vilka för och nackdelar detta i sin tur kan leda till. Uppsatsen syftar även till att förstå hur handlingsutrymmet i socialsekreterarnas yrkesroll påverkas. Vi har använt oss av en kvalitativ ansats i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer för att få en djupare inblick av intervjupersonernas egna upplevelser av arbetet som socialsekreterare. Vi har intervjuat sex socialsekreterare som arbetar på socialtjänsten inom enhet ekonomiskt bistånd. Resultatet visade bland annat att socialsekreterarna ser socialtjänstlagen (2001:453) som en trygghet. De anser att de som har erfarenhet av arbetet också har möjlighet till ett stort handlingsutrymme när de fattar beslut. Rättssäkerheten kan enligt socialsekreterarna påverkas både positivt och negativt beroende på de individuella bedömningar som handlingsutrymmet och socialtjänstlagen (2001:453) ger utrymme för. / The most important law in social services at economic assistance is the framelaw “socialtjänstlagen” (2001: 453). Based on the “socialtjänstlag”, the social workers at the economic assistance should document, assess, investigate and make decisions regarding rights to various kinds of assistance for individuals. Social workers should be able to make different decisions in a proper way. This must be done from a legal certainty perspective, when it comes to exerting influence of other individuals’ economic and social situation. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand how the professional role of social workers at economic assistance on social services experience to document, assess and investigate rights to economic assistance, from a legal certainty perspective and what advantages or disadvantages for the social workers, this can lead to. Also how the social workers experience that their discretion can be affected in their professional role. We have used a qualitative approach in the form of semi-structured interviews to gain a deeper insight of the interviewees’ own experience of working as a social worker. We interviewed six social workers working in social services within the economic assistance. The results showed that the social workers see “socialtjänstlagen” (2001:453) as a security. They believe that those social workers who have a longer experience of the work also have the opportunity for a wide discretion when making decisions. The legal certainty according to social workers affected both positively and negatively, depending on the individual assessments that discretion and the “socialtjänstlagen” (2001:453) provides space for.

The purpose of this essay is to study seven different school counsellors’ way of working and collaborating with students with an ADHD diagnosis. The informants we met come from different high schools in southern Sweden. The study is based on a qualitative approach and the primary knowledge was established through semi-structured interviews. The secondary knowledge is accounted for the form of previous research and theories. The collected material has been analysed based on important concepts about interaction theory, as well as the concept of discretion based on Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy. Our results show that there is not a consistent way to work with students who have ADHD. Furthermore, the results show that collaboration is desirable but difficult to achieve with these students. The counsellors’ working methods and use of discretion were taken into consideration in the analysis. Also shown are positive and negative aspects of collaboration, both in the school and also outside organizations.

Police officers make decisions at the street level in a variety of situations that have direct impact on quality of life, justice in society, and individual freedom. These decisions inherently involve the exercise of discretion, since successfully performed police tasks are linked to the officer‘s choosing among alternative courses of action. Appropriateness of unsupervised decisions taken under street contingencies remains questionable in terms of police-behavior legitimacy. Law enforcement agencies seek ways to control excessive discretion to avoid undesired consequences of police discretion and maintain organizational legitimacy. Traditionally, organizations developed reward and sanction structures that aimed to shape officer behavior on the street. Recent perspectives, on the other hand, emphasize that it is imperative to manage discretion by employing a value-based approach that requires the agency to encourage subordinates in the exercise of certain behaviors simply because they are believed to be right and proper. This approach depends primarily on beliefs, values, and attitudes of employees rather than external contingencies of environment. Drawing on expectancy and value-based approaches, this study examines the factors affecting patrol officers‘ discretionary decisions to enforce law in the Turkish National Police (TNP). The reward expectancy concept was derived from the expectancy theory of motivation, which uses extrinsic rewards in structuring discretion. Regarding the value-based approach, public service motivation (PSM) represents the intrinsic motives of officers in this study, while selective enforcement corresponds to the attitudes of officers. Discretionary behaviors of officers on the street were conceptualized as responsiveness, which refers to the degree to which officers iv are willing to respond to street contingencies. The study tested the mediating role of work effort between reward expectancy/responsiveness and public service motivation/responsiveness relationships. Samples of the study were drawn from uniformed patrol officers in seven provinces of Turkey. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Responses of 613 patrol officers were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study developed four latent constructs and validated their measurement models by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Structural equation modeling was used to investigate causal and confirmatory relationships among latent variables. Findings of the study suggested that reward expectancy did not have a statistically significant relationship to responsiveness. The study did not find a significant association between reward expectancy and work effort of officers. This finding was found to be attributable to the fact that officers do not believe in the fair distribution procedures of rewards and they do not value organizational rewards. Public service motivation of respondents, on the other hand, indicated a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship with both work effort and responsiveness. These results indicated that intrinsic motives of officers in the TNP are more powerful in explaining officer responsiveness to street contingencies. As hypothesized, officer attitudes toward selective enforcement negatively influenced officer responsiveness, indicating that officers‘ beliefs and values influence their discretionary behaviors. Among the demographic characteristics of participants, only age of officer indicated a negative significant relationship to responsiveness. This finding suggested that motivation decreases as age increases. Contrary to v other findings in the literature, this study found that intensity perceptions of respondents was positively associated with responsiveness. The study revealed some policy, theoretical, and methodological implications. The findings suggested that the TNP should either completely eliminate the existing reward system or revise it to motivate officers to be responsive. A leadership practice that promotes PSM and discourages selective enforcement was also suggested. Contrary to research that emphasizes the role of extrinsic motivation on police discretion, this study empirically reported that intrinsic motivation has an even stronger effect on officer behavior and needs to be taken into account in future studies. The study contributes to an understanding of police discretionary behavior in the TNP, which has unique characteristics of structure, culture, and law. The limitations of the study in terms of its dependency on officer perceptions and concerns about construct validity were discussed and future research was suggested.

For the past decade, Sweden has been reinforced as a multicultural society, and immigrant integration policy has been a hotly debated topic. During the election campaigns in 2022, preschool was an important political issue, the government arguing that early interventions can be the key to the successful integration of immigrants. Subsequent amendments to the Education Act, which entered into force on 1 July 2023, require all municipalities to actively promote increased participation in preschool by means of different methods. The municipalities must provide information to parents and legal guardians and offer preschool enrollment to children who need learning Swedish, without the parents or legal guardians applying for it. The outreach activities are aimed at children who are not currently enrolled in preschool but who are entitled to be. The purpose of the present thesis is to investigate the experiences among preschool staff of the requirement to take active measures to offer preschool enrollment to the children of foreign-born parents. Through a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews and a street level bureaucrats theoretical perspective, the study has focused on two municipalities which have charged preschool staff with the aforementioned task. With the analytical terms street level bureaucrats and discretion, it has been possible to investigate how the policy is implemented and how the preschool staff feels about being a fellow human being as well as an agent for a government authority. The results of the study indicate a consensus among preschool staff that they understand the purpose of, and need for, active measures, and their good intentions and ambitions are visible, despite being insufficiently prepared for the task by their employers.

The covid-19 pandemic had a big impact on the whole world, and a great deal of research was directed at the subject. Earlier research has foremost been directed at the covid-19 pandemic as a crisis, the management of the crisis and vaccinations. The effects of the pandemic, primarily from the perspective of street-level bureaucrats, is a relatively unexplored subject. The discretion of street-level bureaucrats in healthcare in the district of Kalmar is explored in this paper, together with the question and explanation of if and how the discretion has changed. The problems are mostly focused on how the changes are experienced in the post-pandemic timeline, how the discretion is affected and what might be the cause to the changes in discretion. The problems are studied based on Lipsky´s theory of street-level bureaucrats with the support from Jönsson´s theory of discretion. The theories have also been used for the development of the interview questions, that in turn have been used to collect the empirical data for this study. Semi structured interviews were used to collect the empirical data in physical interviews with doctors and nurses who work in district Kalmar. The result of the interviews has since been analyzed with qualitative text analysis with the support of the aforementioned theories. The result and the analysis showed a change in the cornerstones of the street-level bureaucrats’ framework according to Jönsson´s theory. The changes in district Kalmar during the pandemic can still be seen in the post-pandemic timeline in several ways. Therefore, a change in the street-level bureaucrats’ discretion can be seen and explained. Street-level bureaucrats have had an increase in knowledge and developed coping mechanisms, simplifications, and routines for the before uncertain situations, which in turn have resulted in a more comfortable street-level bureaucrat with changed discretion. Further research may show how these changes and effects can be seen in the future and other districts, which can contribute to the scientific gap that this study has shown about the remaining effects in the post-pandemic timeline.

The increase of standardized working methods in social work is a well discussed topic due to the fact that the social workers have to practice social discretion in their profession. Previous research into the topic of work methods for social work and work involving human service organizations has been extensive. Many previous works have appraised standardized working methods as this is believed to effectivize and legitimize social work further. However, another school of thought argues that standardized methods may limit the worker and prevent them from making crucial decisions based on their own judgment. This study presents and discusses how standardized working methods may affect the social workers liberty to act of their own accord by using their professional discretion. Furthermore, the study discusses how standardized methods of work may affect the overall profession of social work altogether. The findings suggest that, although standardized working methods may be very effective, they must still allow room for individual judgment as well. This will ensure that rules and regulations are followed and the goals of the organization are being met, without compromising on the important relationship between social workers and their clients. A recurring theme throughout this study is the complexity of social work.

The relationship amongst institutions has continued to play a pivotal role in shaping the nature of policies central to citizens and non-citizens alike. However, the phenomenon of influence and power that institutions constitutionally wield over one another in administrative agencies has been an increasing issue that is largely under-explored. More so, is the issue of installing legitimate regulatory mechanisms that ensure and preserve democratic values and practices that hold government agencies accountable. This study explores the relationship between judicial and executive institutions by examining the degree of influence the courts exercise in decisions in the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Using a precedent tracing approach, this study analyzes the presence and authority of Supreme Court decisions in the determination of refugee protection cases. As administrative bodies exercise a broad range of discretion and are loosely guided by ‘soft-laws’, it is unlikely that the courts would have a high degree of influence in such agencies due to an absence of obligation to do so. The shortage of judicial influence arguably offers a nuanced explanation to the inconsistent outcomes amongst board members and the absence of and requirement for a legitimate remedial mechanism. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

This descriptive case study builds on Johnsson’s (2017) The Strategic Colonels. It aims to further the understanding of the military as a political actor by studying the discretion of naval commanders. It mainly contributes by adding a naval perspective to the research on policy implementation.The study is based on Lipsky’s (2010) theory of policy implementation and supplemented with Adler’s (2001) theory of governance, which is used to include the moral dimension of discretion emphasised by Burk (2009). The study uses public documents and in-depth interviews to examine the discretion of Swedish naval commanders during the ongoing national sea surveillance operation and the contributionsto the UNIFIL and the EUNAVFOR-S.The study partly confirms the result of Johnsson (2017) by showing that naval commanders had greater discretion during international operations than during national operations. Nationally, however, naval commanders had greater discretion than expected. In addition, the study shows that moral factors limit discretion both nationally and internationally, which implies that there are previously underestimated obstacles and opportunities for policy implementation.

As the most powerful position of the courtroom workgroup, the prosecutor plays an essential role in the criminal justice system. From the defendant's initial contact with the criminal court process when the prosecutor makes the charging decision, until sentencing when the prosecutor's recommendation guides judicial discretion, prosecutors hold the power to decide a defendant's fate. Despite the parameters that govern their ability to use discretion, the prosecutor still maintains a significant amount of power to influence crucial decisions with regard to the defendant. The current study addresses the issue of prosecutorial discretion and the ability to mishandle the powers bestowed upon such a powerful position. While prosecutorial discretion has a broad base, the study was narrowed to specifically concentrate on discretion as it impacts plea bargaining and final dispositions. Additionally, an analysis of the data looks at whether or not a defendant faces jury trial penalty for exercising his/her constitutional right to a trial by jury. A statistical comparison was constructed using data collected with respect to specific murder and sexual battery statutes over a 24-month period. Based on the statistical data provided within the study, those individuals who accepted the plea deal offered by the state faced a far less severe punishment than those who opted to go to trial.

In this thesis, I explore how law enforcement officials in Mississippi and Alabama make sense of and respond to human sex trafficking cases. The central questions guiding this research project are: How do law enforcement officials perceive sex trafficking and what does this mean for victim identification and treatment? By conducting 20 interviews with law enforcement officials, I offer insight into how the training, or lack of training, officers receive impacts victim identification, labeling, and treatment. Further, I examine how perceptions, experiences, and training work to influence officer responses to those that do not fit a typical victim narrative, such as sex workers, immigrant, and migrant populations.