Street-level bureaucrats and discretion

In this study, a case study is carried out regarding street-level bureaucrats in public sectors. We examine how street-level bureaucrats experience discretion, how they relate to it, use it and whether there are any differences in discretion. Further the perception of it within the profession, if so in what ways. This is then studied from a power perspective, where selected power phenomena are relational and institutional power. The study is conducted with 5 qualified interviews with police officers in external service in the police areas Älvsborg, Skaraborg and Gothenburg (City and South). Through selected theories such as Lipsky's theory of local bureaucrats and Foucault's theory of power perspective, the study captures important perspectives concerning the research area. Together with collected empirical data and selected theories it appears that street-level bureaucrats experience discretion relatively freely, however, in accordance with current regulations within the profession, which can sometimes contribute to them feeling limited. The study presents that street-level bureaucrats influence each other in their use of discretion through social interaction. Generally, they relate equivalently in their use of discretion due to the patterns of behavior within the profession. They perceive, experience and relate in the same way to discretion in general, regardless of police area - though there are differences presented in how street-level bureaucrats experience discretion, depending on the degree of position they hold within the profession, as well as minor internal differences between different police areas