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

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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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BackgroundResult
Who Are the Frontline Workers of Digital Transformations in Higher Education? A Conceptual Elaboration
Scholkmann, A. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-27758-0_8 · Cited by 3
Refer rather than treat: coping with uncertainty in municipal primary care clinics in India
Gore, R. (2024) · International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy · doi:10.1108/ijssp-04-2023-0090 · Cited by 3
Use of Performance Information and External Accountability: The Role of Citizen Oversight in Mitigating the Motivated Evaluation of Body-Worn Camera Evidence
Ali, M. U., & Wright, J. E. (2024) · American Review of Public Administration · doi:10.1177/02750740241229998 · Cited by 4
“These assumptions and associated practices are coping responses to structural and organizational demands and emerge as of ﬁ cers negotiate behaviors that are viewed as facilitating the attainment of valued organizational goals (Tummers et al., 2015).”
Background
How do street‐level organisations adapt to a new policy framework? Evidence from a Swiss canton
Domenig, C., & Sager, F. (2024) · Australian Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1111/1467-8500.12646 · Cited by 3
“If policy requirements seem incompatible with the needs of the clients, the implementing agents find themselves in a role conflict, which they can overcome by bending and adapting the rules in favour of the clients (Tummers et al., 2015, p. 1109).”
Background
Veilederblikket: Hvordan arbeidsbetingelser former Nav-ansattes syn på brukerne og deres problemer
Andresen, S. A., & Volckmar‐Eeg, M. G. (2024) · Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning · doi:10.18261/tfs.65.3.1 · Cited by 3
Overburdened Bureaucrats: Providing Equal Access to Public Services During COVID-19
Kolstad, K. L. (2024) · The Journal of Politics · doi:10.1086/734270 · Cited by 3
Outsourced, Inspected, and Effective? The Effect of Inspections on the Safety Performance of Prisons in England and Wales 2004–2012
Nakamura, A. (2025) · Regulation & Governance · doi:10.1111/rego.12660 · Cited by 3
Antecedents of emergency services’ Street Level Bureaucrats’ (SLBs) delivery of public value: an exploratory study
Brunetto, Y., Farr‐Wharton, B., Grande, A. H., Sharafizad, F., & Richman, M. (2025) · Public Management Review · doi:10.1080/14719037.2025.2479872 · Cited by 4
“According to Lipsky (1980) SLBs use their discretionary power to develop routines that help them cope with making decisions about who will get what Tummers et al. (2015) argue that there are three options for SLBs, (a) they can move towards the client and deliver a service that will benefit them;…”
Negotiating psychological costs: How welfare recipients' perceived interactions with welfare bureaucrats impact their experiences of administrative burden
Raab, M. (2025) · International Journal of Social Welfare · doi:10.1111/ijsw.70017 · Cited by 3
Digitalisation and meaningful frontline work: insights from the Danish public employment services
Jørring, L. (2025) · European Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1080/13691457.2025.2518269 · Cited by 4
“In the interviews, the caseworkers did express a wish for greater simplicity and support in their work, which resonates with street-level studies that state that high work pressures and uncertainties are inherent in frontline work (Lipsky, 2010; Tummers et al., 2015).”
Public Servants at the Regulatory Front Lines: Street-Level Enforcement in Theory and Practice
de Winter, P., & Hertogh, M. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-29980-4_4 · Cited by 4
Styring, professionel dømmekraft og faldgruber for fagprofessionel værdiskabelse
Møller, M. Ø. (2018) · Tidsskrift for Professionsstudier · doi:10.7146/tfp.v14i26.104812 · Cited by 3
Medikai ir socialinių paslaugų teikėjai – COVID-19 sukeltos krizės politikų priešakinėse linijose: darbo salygos, jų poveikis, elgsena
Civinskas, R., Dvořák, J., & Šumskas, G. (2021) · Regional Formation and Development Studies · doi:10.15181/rfds.v33i1.2195 · Cited by 3
Understanding the Impact and Implications of Fiscal Austerity for the Implementation of Ghana’s School Feeding Programme and Social Investment Strategy
Mohammed, A. (2019) · White Rose eTheses Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) · Cited by 3
Vol 6, No 1 (2016)
Professionalism, P. (2016) · Professions and Professionalism · doi:10.7577/pp.1711 · Cited by 3
Service Models in the Public Sector
Schedler, K., & Guenduez, A. A. (2024) · Yearbook of Swiss Administrative Sciences · doi:10.5334/ssas.222 · Cited by 3
Benefit levels in Swedish social assistance: a vignette-based study of social work professionals’ assessments
Bergmark, Å., & Stranz, H. (2025) · Journal of Poverty and Social Justice · doi:10.1332/17598273y2024d000000037 · Cited by 2
Move toward citizens: third-party professionals’ coping strategies in public legal e-service delivery in China
Zheng, R., & Liu, N. (2025) · Journal of Chinese Governance · doi:10.1080/23812346.2025.2520111 · Cited by 2
Unveiling how power manifests in street-level interactions: implications for value co-creation
Rønshaugen, M., Magnussen, S. F., & Sønderskov, M. (2025) · Public Management Review · doi:10.1080/14719037.2025.2536155 · Cited by 3
“Furthermore, SLBs have the discretion to bend or disregard rules to meet clients’ needs (Dubois 2010; Gofen 2014; Tummers et al. 2015; Zacka 2017).”
Creative Discretion on the Frontline of Public Services: A Longitudinal Qualitative Digital Diary and Interview Study
Faas, L., Houtgraaf, G., Kruyen, P. M., & van Thiel, S. (2025) · Public Administration · doi:10.1111/padm.70018 · Cited by 3
Street-Level Innovators: The Role of Street-Level Bureaucrats in Driving Local Innovation
Uziel, V. (2025) · Journal of Public Policy and Administration · doi:10.11648/j.jppa.20250903.17 · Cited by 2
Coping with occupational stereotypes: an emotional lens on police officers’ experiences
Neo, S., & Overman, S. (2025) · Public Management Review · doi:10.1080/14719037.2025.2567634 · Cited by 2
“The resulting model from our analysis revealed six major emotional families (anger, hurt, resignation, empathy, apprehension, general emotional exhaustion) and three types of coping behaviours similar to Tummers et al. (2015) (moving towards, away and against client).”
Influential
Discretionary Authority Coping and Stress in Human Service Organizations
Szücs, S., Berlin, J. M., Höjer, S., & Liljegren, A. (2025) · Human Services Organizations Management Leadership & Governance · doi:10.1080/23303131.2025.2580018 · Cited by 2
“…coping – and the ways to cope during public service delivery have previously been presented through the systematic review of the literature (Tummers et al., 2015) – it is expected that frontline workers with discretionary powers in human service organizations, such as the police, social…”
Influential
Do Institutions Make Street‐Level Bureaucrats Prosocial? Agent‐Based Evidence Shows That New Public Management Does Not
Cohen, N., & Lazebnik, T. (2025) · European Policy Analysis · doi:10.1002/epa2.70024 · Cited by 2
Between breaking and restoring boundaries: conceptualizing responsiveness in street-level decision-making
Carlsson, H., Glimmerveen, L. M., & Visser, E. L. (2025) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/muaf033 · Cited by 2
Menopause and Street‐Level Work: The Lived Experience of Senior Female Pharmacists in Public Hospitals
Mousa, M. (2026) · Public Administration and Development · doi:10.1002/pad.70061 · Cited by 2
“…and emotionally demanding roles, such as medication dispensing and direct client service, to younger pharmacists, while they themselves focus on non‐ clinical responsibilities that better align with their current physical, cognitive, and mental conditions (Skinner et al. 2003; Tummers et al. 2015).”
Influential
The implementation realities of a digital antenatal care improvement intervention: Insights from ethnographic work in primary health facilities in Nepal
Karki, S., Das, S., Radovich, E., et al. (2026) · PLOS Digital Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pdig.0001340 · Cited by 2
“Data displays (tables of themes and examples), using SLB theory to structure the results [35,36], helped guide the discussion of the findings and informed the final interpretation.”
Fairness Perception, Administrative Burden, and Social Welfare Participation
Shen, Y., Wei, W., An, C., & Chen, Z. (2026) · Public Administration · doi:10.1111/padm.70067 · Cited by 2
Conceptualizing the Street‐Level Bureaucrat Construct
Cheema, F. S., Lee, E., Gupta, R., & Perry, J. L. (2026) · Public Administration and Development · doi:10.1002/pad.70093 · Cited by 2
Digital technologies, economization and professional practice in hospitals: How socio-technical systems shape reliability
Bardmann, M.-M., & Ruiner, C. (2026) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119470 · Cited by 2
Front-line work and interpretive labor in an Angolan development program
Peters, R. W. (2019) · Critical Policy Studies · doi:10.1080/19460171.2019.1630658 · Cited by 2
“…part of the very definition of being a ‘street-level bureaucrat,’ and must therefore creatively manage their resources and tasks in ways that policy makers and even direct supervisors may not expect, or support (Durose 2011; Lipsky 2010 [1980]; Tummers et al. 2015; Maynard-Moody and Musheno 2000).”
Background
Coping Strategies e razionamento. La discrezionalità degli operatori sociali come street-level bureaucrats e situated agents
Cappellato, V., & Cataldi, L. (2019) · SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO · doi:10.3280/sl2019-155005 · Cited by 2
Evolving willingness and ability interfaces: An innovation led transformation journey
Grant, D., Jha, P., Wanjiru, R., & Bhalla, A. (2020) · International Journal of Innovation Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijis.2020.06.001 · Cited by 2
Bumpy road: implementing integrated psychiatric and somatic care in joint-specialty emergency departments: a mixed-method study using Normalization Process Theory
Ankersen, P. V., Steffensen, R. G., Blæhr, E. E., & Beedholm, K. (2021) · Journal of Integrated Care · doi:10.1108/jica-07-2020-0047 · Cited by 2
Experiences of counselors participating in an innovative project to develop a training program for specialized foster parents of youth (13–18 years)
Israel, P., Raae, J. F., & Bjørnestad, J. R. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1254700 · Cited by 3
“The process is complex, and counselors often face dilemmas that challenge their ethical code, feasibility, and pragmatic implications (Tummers et al., 2015; Trappenburg et al., 2020).”
Background
Swedish social workers’ support to female survivors breaking free from male intimate partner violence
Kjellberg, J. (2023) · Nordic Social Work Research · doi:10.1080/2156857x.2023.2297987 · Cited by 2
“An important point of departure for the analysis is that the organization and its context shapes social workers’ discretion (cf. Brodkin 1997; Ellis 2011; Tummers et al. 2015).”
Between Suspicion and Benevolence: How the Social Status of Initiators Plays a Role in Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Assessments of Citizens’ Initiatives
Visser, V., de Koster, W., & van Buuren, A. (2024) · Administration & Society · doi:10.1177/00953997241228872 · Cited by 3
“In line with the idea of “policy alienation” (Tummers, 2017), we see that respondents question the purpose of the policy regulation and whether it serves the people who need it, which inspires them to bend the rules (Tummers et al., 2015).”
Background
Shared professional logics amongst managers and bureaucrats in Brazilian social security: a street-level mixed-methods study
de Andrade, L. H. A., & Pekkola, E. (2024) · International Journal of Public Sector Management · doi:10.1108/ijpsm-08-2023-0240 · Cited by 4

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

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