Abstract: Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic requires that the State make hard decisions that involve the action of bureaucrats who interact with the population through the implementation of public policy, the street-level bureaucracy (SLB). In this paper, based on a mixed- method exploratory study, we analyze how the daily performance of street-level bureaucrats in different policy areas- health and social care, access to the justice system, public security and education - has changed during the pandemic. We also explore the repercussions of those changes. Based on the analysis of the perceptions of bureaucrats, changes in their work and in their relationship with the public, we identify three categories that illustrate the dynamics of SLB work during the pandemic: the SLB who faces the crisis on the front lines; the SLB who suffers the effects of the pandemic, but whose work does not require her to face it directly; and the SLB who began to work remotely. We conclude that, during the pandemic, SLB suffered in varying degrees an aggravation of structural problems, such as their removal from decision-making processes - now restricted to the highest government level - and the exacerbation of already existing conflicts and ambiguities.
O enfrentamento da pandemia de Covid-19 exige que o Estado tome decisões difíceis que perpassam a ação da burocracia que implementa políticas públicas na interação com a população, a burocracia de nível de rua (BNR). Neste artigo, baseado em estudo exploratório de método misto, analisamos como a atuação cotidiana desses burocratas em diferentes políticas públicas - saúde, assistência social, acesso à justiça, segurança pública e educação - foi alterada durante a pandemia, bem como analisamos as suas consequências. Três categorias que ilustram a dinâmica do trabalho da BNR durante a pandemia foram identificadas por análise dos sentimentos dos burocratas, mudanças no seu trabalho e na relação com a população: a BNR que enfrenta a crise na linha de frente; a BNR que sofre os efeitos da pandemia, mas cujo trabalho não demanda enfrentá-la diretamente; e a BNR cujo trabalho migrou para o formato remoto. Concluímos que, durante a pandemia, a BNR, em diferentes graus, deparou-se com um agravamento de problemas estruturais, como o seu alijamento dos processos decisórios, restritos ao alto escalão governamental, e a exacerbação de conflitos e ambiguidades já existentes. ; Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic requires that the State make hard decisions that involve the action of bureaucrats who interact with the population through the implementation of public policy, the street-level bureaucracy (SLB). In this paper, based on a mixed- method exploratory study, we analyze how the daily performance of street-level bureaucrats in different policy areas- health and social care, access to the justice system, public security and education - has changed during the pandemic. We also explore the repercussions of those changes. Based on the analysis of the perceptions of bureaucrats, changes in their work and in their relationship with the public, we identify three categories that illustrate the dynamics of SLB work during the pandemic: the SLB who faces the crisis on the front lines; the SLB who suffers the effects of the pandemic, but whose work does not require her to face it directly; and the SLB who began to work remotely. We conclude that, during the pandemic, SLB suffered in varying degrees an aggravation of structural problems, such as their removal from decision-making processes - now restricted to the highest government level - and the exacerbation of already existing conflicts and ambiguities. ; Hacer frente a la pandemia de Covid-19 requiere que el Estado tome decisiones difíciles que van más allá de la acción de la burocracia que implementa las políticas públicas en la interacción con la población, la burocracia de primera línea (BPL). En este artículo, a partir de un estudio exploratorio de método mixto, analizamos cómo el desempeño diario de estos burócratas en diferentes políticas públicas - salud, asistencia social, acceso a la justicia, seguridad pública y educación - se modificó durante la pandemia y sus consecuencias. Se identificaron tres categorías que ilustran la dinámica del trabajo de BNR durante la pandemia, analizando los sentimientos de los burócratas, los cambios en su trabajo y en la relación con la población: la BPL que enfrenta la crisis en primera línea; la BPL que sufre los efectos de la pandemia, pero cuyo trabajo no exige enfrentarla directamente; y la BPL cuyo trabajo migró al formato remoto. Concluimos que, durante la pandemia, la BPL, en diferentes grados, enfrentó un agravamiento de problemas estructurales, como su remoción de los procesos de toma de decisiones, restringida al más alto nivel de gobierno, y la exacerbación de conflictos y ambigüedades ya existentes.
