Central-local tensions in the decentralization of social policies: Street-level bureaucrats and social practices in the Netherlands

Abstract

European welfare reforms often involve the decentralization of social care services. This potentially creates central-local tensions for professionals implementing and delivering policies on the ground. Using the capability approach (CA) as a conceptual frame, this article compares local professionals' experiences in the decentralization of social work and care services in an urban and a rural mid-sized municipality in the Netherlands. It offers a missing insiders' perspective on central-local tensions, focusing on front-line workers' capabilities to effectively implement policy on the ground. It finds that perfect policy implementation is hardly achievable locally and that policies are translated through implementation and on-the-ground delivery. This leads to central-local tensions and the absence of reflective space for professionals to deal with normative dilemmas. We conclude that the CA is both useful for identifying these tensions as well as providing a normative framework to guide professionals in reflecting on and negotiating street-level issues.