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Cited by 756Stress and Burnout ResearchEmotional Labor in ProfessionsPublic Policy and Administration Research

Coping During Public Service Delivery: A Conceptualization and Systematic Review of the Literature

Tummers, Lars L. G., Bekkers, Victor, Vink, Evelien, Musheno, Michael·2015·Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
DOI 10.1093/jopart/muu056
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Abstract

Frontline workers, such as teachers and social workers, often experience stress when delivering public services to clients, for instance because of high workloads. They adapt by coping, using such practices as breaking or bending rules for clients, or rationing services. Although coping is recognized as an important response to the problems of frontline work, the public administration field lacks a comprehensive view of coping. The first contribution of this article is therefore theoretical: conceptualizing coping during public service delivery and developing a coherent classification of coping. This is done via a systematic review of the literature from 1981 to 2014. The second contribution is empirical: via a systematic review of the literature from 1981–2014 this article provides a framework and analytical account of how coping during public service delivery has been studied since 1980. It highlights the importance of the type of profession (such as being a teacher or a police officer), the amount of workload, and the degree of discretion for understanding how frontline workers cope with stress. It also reveals that frontline workers often draw on the coping family “moving towards clients” revealing a strong tendency to provide meaningful public service to clients, even under stressful conditions. We conclude with an agenda for future studies, examining new theoretical, methodological and empirical opportunities to advance understanding of coping during public service delivery. Trabalhadores de linha de frente, tais como professores e assistentes sociais, frequentemente experimentam estresse no exercício de suas funções de entrega de serviços públicos para os clientes em função do acúmulo de trabalho. Eles se adaptam ao enfrentamento utilizando práticas tais como quebrar ou contornar regras para os clientes, ou racionamento de serviços. Apesar do enfrentamento ser reconhecido como uma importante resposta aos problemas de linha de frente, a administração pública se ressente de uma visão totalizadora do mesmo. A primeira contribuição do artigo é, desta forma, teórica: conceituando o enfrentamento durante a prestação de serviços públicos e o desenvolvimento de uma classificação coerente de enfrentamento. Isto é realizado via revisão sistemática da literatura de 1981 a 2014. A segunda contribuição é empírica: através de uma revisão sistemática da literatura de 1981-2014, o artigo apresenta um quadro e uma narrativa analítica de como o enfrentamento durante a prestação de serviços públicos tem sido estudada desde 1980. O texto realça a importância dos tipos de profissão (tal como ser um professor ou um agente policial), a quantidade de carga de trabalho e o grau de discernimento para o entendimento de como trabalhadores de linha de frente lidam com o estresse. Ele também revela que trabalhadores de linha de frente frequentemente recorrem à famílias de “clientes proativos” revelando uma forte tendência a entregar serviços públicos significativos para os clientes mesmo que em condições de estresse. Nós concluímos com uma agenda para estudos futuros, examinando novas teorias, métodos e oportunidades empíricas para avançar o entendimento do enfrentamento durante prestação de serviços públicos. Translated by Ricardo Gomes, University of Brasília

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  1. *References included in the systematic review and cited in this article. Note that not all publications included in our review have been cited.
  2. Breuer, 1955, Studies on hysteria (Standard Edition), 2
  3. Gilliom, 2001, Overseers of the poor: Resistance, surveillance, and the limits of privacy
  4. Loyens, 2014, Coping with policy alienation in law enforcement
  5. 10.2307/800205 · DOI
  6. Monahan, 2010, Introduction, 1
  7. * Winter S. Baviskar Siddhartha . 2010. Street-level bureaucracy and performance: A cross-policy analysis. SFI Advisory Research Board Conference 2010 & 2010 Midwest Political Science Association Conference. SFI - The Danish National Research Centre for Social Policy. April 2010.

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Authors
Tummers, L. L. G., Bekkers, V., Vink, E., & Musheno, M.
Affiliations
  • Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL)
  • University of California System (US)
ORCID
Musheno, Michael
Venue
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2015-01-12
Volume
25
Issue
4
Pages
1099-1126
ISSN
  • 1053-1858 (ISSN-L)
  • 1477-9803
DOI
10.1093/jopart/muu056
OpenAlex
W1998134118
Cited by
756
References
118
Citations by year
2026: 118 · 2025: 107 · 2024: 86 · 2023: 81 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 82 · 2020: 63 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 34 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 1
FWCI
4.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Georgia
  • University of Washington
  • University of Kansas
  • London School of Economics and Political Science
  • European Commission (329519)
  • Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
  • Universiteit Utrecht
  • Université de Lausanne
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Emotional Labor in Professions
  • Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
Keywords
coping, public service delivery, frontline workers, occupational stress, workload, discretion, teachers, social workers, police officers, rule violations, public administration

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