000			01742nam a22001577a 4500
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100			_a Blijleven, Wieke and Hulst, Merlijn Van _937836
245			_aEncounters with the organisation: How local civil servants experience and handle tensions in public engagement
260			_aLocal Government Studies
300			_a48(3), Jun, 2022: p.457-481
520			_aCivil servants in local governments across the globe are increasingly expected to engage the public. Engagement processes lead to tensions between the rising expectation to engage the public on the one hand, and the bureaucratic and managerial expectations, which still largely characterise municipal organisations, on the other. Based on focus groups totalling 73 frontline civil servants in ten Dutch municipalities, this article explores what tensions arise and through what practices civil servants handle them. We contribute to the recent debates on public engagement, showing that civil servants do not just use their discretion to deal with the tensions surrounding rules and policies, departmentalisation and performance management. They negotiate with colleagues and align people, structures and resources inside and outside their organisation to make public engagement work. In addition, the findings suggest that tensions mostly surface in interactions between civil servants. A real challenge in engagement, therefore, lies in developing shared resolutions with one’s colleagues. – Reproduced
650			_aPublic engagement, Citizen participation, Citizens’ initiatives, Frontline work, Civil servants, Focus groups _936278
773			_aLocal Government Studies
906			_aCIVIL SERVANTS
942			_cAR