How street‐level bureaucrats become policy entrepreneurs: The case of urban renewal

Abstract

Under what conditions will street‐level bureaucrats act as policy entrepreneurs? Drawing on the case of social workers working with disadvantaged populations in the context of urban renewal in Israel, we suggest a framework for addressing this question. The research contributes to the literature of public administration and policy both by analyzing the strategies these entrepreneurs adopt to increase their influence on policy design and by proposing that the combination of perceptions of an acute crisis situation, lack of effective knowledge in the area, and the demand for innovation and activism leads street‐level bureaucrats to adopt innovative strategies aimed at influencing policy.