ABSTRACT
Introduction
One of the approaches of policies implementation literature is to observe how bureaucrats exercise their discretion and, thus, implement and formulate the policy designed. The exercise of discretion is influenced by various institutional and relational factors, so that policy outcomes can be partly explained by the interactions established by bureaucrats.
Methods
Methodologically, the research was based on ethnography and interviews with 24 community agents from three municipalities: Sobral (CE), Taboão da Serra (SP) and São Paulo (SP). The choice of the 8 community health agents for Basic Health Units sought to contemplate varieties in terms of career time, involvement with social movements, relationship with church, etc. This variation was determined by dimensions that could influence the relational profile of community health agents and the way of using discretion.
Results
The results demonstrate that the discretionary performance of street level bureaucrats is highly influenced by their professional trajectories and relational profile. Social networks of community agents influence how they interact with users and determine the results of delivered policies. The most skillful actors are those who manage to walk in the complexity of identities and interests, using their specific signs, identities, and terminologies to build relationships and practices.
Discussion
Analyzing the performance of Community Health Agents, this article observes how policies are built dynamically from interactive processes between bureaucrats and other actors. Based on the allocative power of street bureaucrats, the insertion of these practices into local social networks allows them to choose the resources that will lead to both “the worlds” and to build the mediation dynamics of these resources, thus becoming more permeable, or “more next”, the border between State and society.
KEYWORDS:
Implementation; bureaucrats; social networks; interactions; public policies
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