Balancing Equity and Equality in Street-Level Bureaucracy: Comparative Perspectives

Call for papers

Special Issue: Balancing Equity and Equality in Street-Level Bureaucracy: Comparative Perspectives

Journal: Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

Manuscript Deadline: 30 September 2026

About the Special Issue

The Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice invites submissions for its Special Issue titled "Balancing Equity and Equality in Street-Level Bureaucracy: Comparative Perspectives."

This Special Issue seeks to advance understanding of how street-level bureaucrats—including social workers, educators, police officers, healthcare professionals, and other frontline public servants—navigate the complex balance between equity and equality in public service delivery across different institutional, national, and policy contexts.

Street-level bureaucrats play a critical role in translating public policy into everyday practice. While they are expected to promote social equity by addressing the diverse needs of marginalized populations, they must also ensure procedural fairness and equal treatment for all citizens. This tension creates significant ethical, political, and practical challenges that vary across governance systems and service sectors.

The Special Issue welcomes comparative theoretical and empirical research that explores how these competing principles are interpreted and implemented in different organizational, cultural, and policy environments. Contributions from scholars across disciplines, regions, and career stages are strongly encouraged.

Scope and Topics of Interest

Submissions may address, but are not limited to:

• Comparative analyses of equity versus equality in public service delivery

• Fairness, efficiency, and public service values

• Street-level bureaucracy across education, healthcare, policing, and social welfare

• Comparative perspectives on public, private, and third-sector service delivery

• Organizational and cultural differences in frontline decision-making

• Street-level discretion and social equity

• Perceptions of deservingness in public service provision

• National and subnational policy comparisons

• Policy design and implementation through comparative perspectives

• Frontline management and institutional governance

• Ethical challenges in public administration

• Cross-national and cross-sectoral comparative policy analysis

Submission Guidelines

• Authors should submit an abstract of 250–300 words clearly outlining the paper title, research focus, methodology, data sources, and comparative perspective.

• Proposals should align with the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis aims and comparative research criteria.

• Accepted authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts for peer review.

• All full papers must follow the journal's author guidelines and be submitted through the official submission system.

Guest Editors

Nissim Cohen
University of Haifa, Israel

Gabriela Lotta
FGV EAESP, Brazil

Ofek Edri-Peer
University of Haifa, Israel

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