Abstract
In this chapter, we review scholarly research on AI technologies in street-level bureaucracy and introduce the concept of ‘algorithmic discretion’ to define a new technology-supported paradigm in street-level discretion. We suggest that algorithmic discretion drives three major trends in public administration which affect key values and operating principles of street-level bureaucracy negatively: (1) the de-skilling of street-level bureaucrats, (2) the prevalence of “automated inequality”, and finally (3) challenges related to rendering algorithmic decisions accountable, transparent and explainable in a technological context where the complexity of models and the opacity of their in-built biases and flaws are such that explanations for decisions are ever harder to give. Through a critical examination of these issues, this chapter offers insights into how algorithmic discretion has reconfigured street-level work during the last two decades and discusses the implications of these changes for future street-level bureaucracy research.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Handbook on Public Policy and Artificial Intelligence |
Editors | Regine Paul, Jennifer Cobbe |
Number of pages | 13 |
Place of Publication | Cheltenham |
Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing |
Publication date | 2024 |
Pages | 80-92 |
Chapter | 6 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781803922164 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781803922171 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- Artificial intelligence
- Algorithms
- Discretion
- Street-level bureaucracy
- Critical analysis