ABSTRACT
Termed here as Street-Level Policy Innovation, this study shifts attention to public managers’ role in policy change processes during which local street-level implementation adaptations are later formally adopted as a new policy instrument. The study develops an analytical framework drawing on the case of the Free Sidewalk program in Mexico. In summary three processes emerge such as the re-design of implementation arrangements, the accumulation of evidence, and the adoption of the experimented instrument as a formal policy change. The article contributes to understanding the role of frontline organizations as settings where managers explore, experience, and experiment with new policy instruments.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Supplemental data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2023.2171095
Notes
1. The program websites in the two municipalities can be accessed through https://guadalajara.gob.mx/programa-banquetas-libres and https://www.zapopan.gob.mx/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Ficha_tecnica_banquetas_libres.pdf.