Street-level bureaucracies cannot be reformed by isolated interventions alone.

Evidence

In recognition of the magnitude of the task I have framed this discussion in terms of building on the commitments of new professionals. But the reconstruction of street-level bureaucracies is unlikely to take place in the absence of a broad movement for social and economic justice. … If street-level bureaucracies indeed play critical roles in the political structure, isolated reform efforts cannot plausibly be expected to bear the full weight of social change. — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 1516

Categorization

• XREF: Links to the buffer-relationship argument that street-level agencies structurally mediate between state and citizens, so piecemeal management fixes are insufficient.