Agencies under budget threat inflate client numbers to prove worth

Evidence

Established street-level bureaucracies may also attempt to increase their clientele if they perceive themselves under attack and calculate that demonstrations of significant service provision, or increases in clientele, might aid their cause. Relatedly, street-level bureaucracies may attempt to increase the number of clients when they are competing against other programs with similar objectives. Such agencies perceive that they are competing for the same client pool, and that only the more successful will survive in the next budget cycle. — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 681

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships