Impact of the new legislation of state social support on target groups and street-level bureaucrats

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11230%2F21%3A10441332" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11230/21:10441332 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://www.nispa.org/files/conferences/2021/e-proceedings/system_files/papers/Angelovska_Starova_State_social_support.pdf" target="_blank" >https://www.nispa.org/files/conferences/2021/e-proceedings/system_files/papers/Angelovska_Starova_State_social_support.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Impact of the new legislation of state social support on target groups and street-level bureaucrats

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

The last amendment of the Act No. 117/1995 Coll., On state social support, in 2020 brought changes in the Czech system of benefits that are often referred to in society as &quot;family benefits&quot;, as most of them target social events of families with dependent children. The amendment changed mainly two out of five benefits, concretely parental and housing allowance. Our paper aims at the amendment effect on the work of street-level bureaucrats. The amendment led to the authoritative implementation of changes. Street-level bureaucrats could not interfere in it in any way at the level of direct contact with the clients of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, and they faced increasing administrative burden and ambiguity of conditions. They had to also react to insufficient resources that the street-level bureaucrats mainly referred to as information and time. Furthermore, they couldn&apos;t face these new working conditions through so-called coping mechanisms, primarily routine activities. The second aspect that we touched in our paper is the different impacts on the target groups. The policy mirrored the framing of the groups in public and political discourse. While families drawing parental allowance are framed positively by media, politics, and street-level bureaucrats, the families drawing housing allowance are framed negatively by all groups. They are perceived as those who abuse the system. The implemented policy reflected such framing, and while parental allowance became more benevolent, the housing allowance became stricter and more subject to control. We based our research on a qualitative approach. We obtained data through document analysis (legislative documents, stenographic records, internal materials of Czech Labour Office), media analysis using Newton Media Search), and semi-structured interviews with street-level bureaucrats working at Labour Office.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Impact of the new legislation of state social support on target groups and street-level bureaucrats

Popis výsledku anglicky

The last amendment of the Act No. 117/1995 Coll., On state social support, in 2020 brought changes in the Czech system of benefits that are often referred to in society as &quot;family benefits&quot;, as most of them target social events of families with dependent children. The amendment changed mainly two out of five benefits, concretely parental and housing allowance. Our paper aims at the amendment effect on the work of street-level bureaucrats. The amendment led to the authoritative implementation of changes. Street-level bureaucrats could not interfere in it in any way at the level of direct contact with the clients of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, and they faced increasing administrative burden and ambiguity of conditions. They had to also react to insufficient resources that the street-level bureaucrats mainly referred to as information and time. Furthermore, they couldn&apos;t face these new working conditions through so-called coping mechanisms, primarily routine activities. The second aspect that we touched in our paper is the different impacts on the target groups. The policy mirrored the framing of the groups in public and political discourse. While families drawing parental allowance are framed positively by media, politics, and street-level bureaucrats, the families drawing housing allowance are framed negatively by all groups. They are perceived as those who abuse the system. The implemented policy reflected such framing, and while parental allowance became more benevolent, the housing allowance became stricter and more subject to control. We based our research on a qualitative approach. We obtained data through document analysis (legislative documents, stenographic records, internal materials of Czech Labour Office), media analysis using Newton Media Search), and semi-structured interviews with street-level bureaucrats working at Labour Office.

Druh

D - Stať ve sborníku

CEP obor

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OECD FORD obor

50602 - Public administration

Projekt

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Návaznosti

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Rok uplatnění

2021

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název statě ve sborníku

Citizens&apos; Engagement and Empowerment - The Era of Collaborative Innovation in Governance

ISBN

978-80-999390-7-4

ISSN

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e-ISSN

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Počet stran výsledku

5

Strana od-do

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Název nakladatele

NISPAcee

Místo vydání

Ljubjana

Místo konání akce

Ljubljana

Datum konání akce

21. 10. 2021

Typ akce podle státní příslušnosti

EUR - Evropská akce

Kód UT WoS článku

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