AUTHOR=Yuan Shuai , Chen Zhixia , Sun Mei 

TITLE=Discretion: Whether and How Does It Promote Street-Level Bureaucrats' Taking Charge Behavior?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.805872

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.805872

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=The extant literatures on discretion have mainly focused on its effect on policy implementation and public service delivery but few studies have looked at its influence on street-level bureaucrats’ work behaviour such as taking charge behaviour (TCB), the behaviour that is of great importance to government reforms especially in developing and transitional countries. Based on self-determination theory, this paper examines whether and how discretion promote street-level bureaucrats’ TCB. Two studies were conducted among street-level bureaucrats in China. First, a survey experiment (n=355) suggests that discretion positively predicts street-level bureaucrats’ TCB. Then, a survey questionnaire study (n=442) shows that discretion is positively related to TCB through the mediator of PSM. We conclude with implications for theory and practice.