Conference Agenda

The public policy literature has extensively explored the conditions under which politicians abstain from direct involvement in policy design. However, we still know little about the strategies that policy entrepreneurs use to promote a policy when politicians are absent from the policy arena. Hence, the theoretical contribution of this research is in illustrating the strategies of policy entrepreneurs when politicians are not engaged in policy design. The empirical contribution of this research consists of collecting empirical evidence from various populations about policy design in the absence of the participation of politicians. Using 30 in-depth interviews, conducted between February 2024 and March 2025, with those involved in the "Roim Rachok" ("Looking Ahead") Program, designed to promote the inclusion of those on the autism spectrum in the Israel Defense Forces as a case study, our results indicate that this program is the first initiative of its kind in a mandatory military anywhere. It was developed and promoted by policy entrepreneurs without the involvement of politicians. The goal of the program was to integrate those on the autism spectrum into the military and, consequently, improve their future employment prospects. In addition, our results indicate that the policy entrepreneurs needed to deal with concerns about integrating those on the autism spectrum into security organizations. They also used various strategies to promote their initiative, including arguments about reducing costs and trust-building strategies with the military to overcome the absence of politicians in the design of the policy.

Silence among street-level bureaucrats in China has become increasingly prevalent, with important implications for local governance and public service delivery. However, most existing studies focus on the private sector or adopt Western-developed silence measurement, lacking conceptual and empirical grounding in public administration settings. To address this gap, we draw on street-level bureaucracy theory and employ an exploratory sequential mixed methods design to conceptualize and measure silence behavior among street-level bureaucrats. Based on qualitative interviews with 23 grassroots civil servants, we identified four distinct dimensions of silence: organizational-institutional, individual-inhibitory, relationship-based, and socially-pressured. These dimensions informed the development of a multidimensional scale, which was validated with a sample of 240 street-level bureaucrats. We then conduct a second survey with 321 respondents to examine the behavioral implications of silence. Results show that silence behavior is positively associated with job burnout, and psychological capital mediates this relationship. Our findings highlight the distinct characteristics of bureaucratic silence in public sector and offer a validated measurement tool for future research on street-level behavior and employee outcomes in governance contexts.

Public organizations are increasingly confronted with societal demands and political pressures that shape civil servants’ decision-making, managerial practices, and policy implementation. These challenges influence how bureaucrats navigate frontline complexities and communicate crucial information upwards within their organizations. While research on street-level bureaucracy has extensively examined the determinants of discretionary practices, the organizational factors shaping bureaucrats’ willingness to voice concerns to higher hierarchical levels remain underexplored. Addressing this gap is essential, as effective upward communication can help address policy implementation gaps, foster organizational learning, and enhance implementation and innovation processes.

This study investigates the organizational conditions that facilitate upward voicing attitudes among bureaucrats. Specifically, it addresses the question: Which organizational factors influence bureaucrats’ perceptions of their ability to communicate insights and concerns to higher levels? Using survey data from 5,975 bureaucrats in the Swiss education sector, we find that effective internal communication and trust—both among peers and in managerial leadership—positively correlate with bureaucrats' willingness to voice concerns upward. Notably, among street-level bureaucrats (SLBs), peer trust alone is insufficient—confidence in managerial leadership is a key enabler of upward communication.

Our findings contribute to the theory of street-level decision-making by identifying the organizational conditions that empower bureaucrats at different hierarchical levels to share information within their agencies. Moreover, by proposing and testing a novel analytical framework to assess bottom-up communication in public organizations, we provide new insights into its role in policy implementation, organizational responsiveness, and service delivery effectiveness in contemporary bureaucracies.

Modes of service delivery in urban governance are well-documented. Nevertheless, less attention has been paid to self-organized, community-based, and locally oriented services within which citizens take matters into their own hands to tackle varied local public issues. Research concerning “grassroots initiatives,” “community-led initiatives,” “community self-organization,” or “social enterprises” focuses mainly on the initiative, and much less attention has been paid to the individual civic entrepreneurs themselves, who serve as a driving force to meet local community needs.

This study shifts attention to individual community entrepreneurs who repeatedly initiated services for the local public, named here as “serial community-based entrepreneurs.”We suggest that serial community-based entrepreneurs play a key yet overlooked role in local service delivery, which, in turn, influences urban governance.

Data draws on in-depth interviews with 18 serial community-based entrepreneurs, and their 54 local services initiatives. Preliminary findings identify an intensive learning process that allows them to continue initiating community-based services. Experience in previous initiatives enhances their social capital, which is used to strengthen their relationships with the local authority and establish long-term partnerships with additional actors. Analysis of the interviews also demonstrates how attempts to meet one’s personal needs are followed by creative solutions that are later scaled up for the benefit of the local public. Focusing on bottom-up service delivery allows a better understanding of upwards policymaking.