Between Trust and Blame: Citizen Perceptions of Street‐Level Bureaucrats During the Pandemic

ABSTRACT Policy implementation studies have focused on encounters between street‐level bureaucrats and citizens. However, insufficient research has explored how citizens experience such encounters, especially during crises. To address the research gap, this study investigated citizens' perspectives on the roles of street‐level bureaucrats during the pandemic. Using a survey of Chinese citizens and employing Q methodology, we identified three distinct profiles: self‐preserving implementers, public protectors, and responsibility dodgers, which are different in their motivations and behaviors. We also found that citizens with varying perceptions of street‐level bureaucrats' roles have different expectations for forms of accountability and differing views on their own roles in policy implementation. The findings suggest practitioners should incorporate citizens' perspectives to make crisis policy implementation more effective.