Goal clarification in public services shrinks institutional mission and dismantles programs.

Evidence

The dilemma for accountability is to know when goal clarification is desirable because continued ambivalence and contradiction are unproductive, and when it will result in a reduction in the scope and mission of public services. The problem of goal ambiguity has contributed to the discrediting of institutions providing services in social work, corrections, and mental health, and to the dismantling of many programs to provide assistance in these areas. — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 1196

Categorization

• QUESTION: Is the dismantling of welfare/corrections services a case of stereotype institutionalization by attrition, or a separate fiscal logic? Worth chasing.