<p>Abstract</p><p>Essay in political science, C-level, by Line Säll, spring semester 2007.</p><p>Tutor: Susan Marton.</p><p>”To do things by the rule of law -A study in the discretion of front-line bureaucrats”</p><p>This essay has it´s starting-point in the theoretical problem of social science to unite democracy and bureaucracy. The purpose is to illustrate the problems with the discretion of front-line bureaucrats in a democratic state. The theoretical approach is front-line bureaucracy-theory. Certain characteristics of the work of street-level bureaucrats makes it impossible to severly reduce discretion. The thesis is that the public policy in important ways is made in the offices of street-level bureaucrats because of their discretion. My research question is: How does front-line bureaucrats, at an employment exchange office in Sweden, interpret their discretion? The discretion is investigated in relation to the marginalised position of immigrants on the swedish labor-market, and in the perspective of that the swedish population is getting more and more heterogeneous. The essay is an qualitative interview study, as front-line bureaucrats at an employment exchange office has been interviewed. My findings is that the front-line bureaucrats interpret their discretion as quite limited. The limits is mostly seen in relation to the rules of the organisation, the bureaucrats orientation towards the organisation over the client and to the ideal of the rule of law.</p>

Abstract Essay in political science, C-level, by Line Säll, spring semester 2007. Tutor: Susan Marton. ”To do things by the rule of law -A study in the discretion of front-line bureaucrats” This essay has it´s starting-point in the theoretical problem of social science to unite democracy and bureaucracy. The purpose is to illustrate the problems with the discretion of front-line bureaucrats in a democratic state. The theoretical approach is front-line bureaucracy-theory. Certain characteristics of the work of street-level bureaucrats makes it impossible to severly reduce discretion. The thesis is that the public policy in important ways is made in the offices of street-level bureaucrats because of their discretion. My research question is: How does front-line bureaucrats, at an employment exchange office in Sweden, interpret their discretion? The discretion is investigated in relation to the marginalised position of immigrants on the swedish labor-market, and in the perspective of that the swedish population is getting more and more heterogeneous. The essay is an qualitative interview study, as front-line bureaucrats at an employment exchange office has been interviewed. My findings is that the front-line bureaucrats interpret their discretion as quite limited. The limits is mostly seen in relation to the rules of the organisation, the bureaucrats orientation towards the organisation over the client and to the ideal of the rule of law.