Understanding Street-Level Bureaucrats' Informal Collaboration: Evidence From Police Officers Across The Jurisdictional Divide

We explore the conditions under which informal collaborations between street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) emerge and the motivations for them. From our analysis of 68 interviews with law enforcement officers from 26 law enforcement agencies in a large metropolitan area in Texas, we identified four themes, representing a mix of altruistic and self-interest considerations: 1) ineffective formal collaboration practices, 2) personal and institutional trust, 3) the balance of power between the collaborators, and 4) a supportive management. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating how informal 'bottom-up' practices allow SLBs to overcome the constraining 'jurisdictional divide' and achieve better work outcomes.