Equity and equality in street-level public service delivery

Abstract

Street-level workers are crucial to promoting equity and equality in public service delivery. Their discretionary decisions can either perpetuate biases and stereotypes or enhance equity by acknowledging citizen-clients’ diverse social backgrounds. While current research often focuses on the micro-level behaviors of street-level bureaucrats (SLBs), there is limited exploration of how societal structures, historical patterns, and cultural beliefs shape these decisions. This Roundtable article argues for incorporating sociological imagination into the study of equity in public service delivery. Three key areas are proposed: (1) societal structures and dynamics—examining how social stratification and political conditions influence equity and equality in service delivery; (2) historical patterns of inclusion and exclusion, and the long-term effects of inequity and inequality on citizen-clients’ attitudes and behaviors; and (3) cultural beliefs about (in)equality and (in)equity—exploring perceptions of just inequalities and inequities among workers and the public. Together, these dimensions provide a richer understanding of equity and equality in public service delivery that can advance the public administration and public management knowledge base.