Goal ambiguity and informal discretion in the implementation of public policies: the case of Spanish immigration policy

Policy formation does not come to an end when a bill becomes a law. Street-level bureaucrats also play a role in shaping public policies through their daily use of discretion. Through a comparative analysis of the work done by street-level bureaucrats in two different organizations in charge of implementing the Spanish immigration policy, we examined the relation between goal ambiguity and the use of informal discretion using a qualitative method relying on Lipsky's theoretical framework. Based on the data obtained through five in-depth interviews with street-level bureaucrats in each of the two selected organizations, we confirm the link between goal ambiguity and the use of informal discretion. Besides, our observations also tend to associate a low level of informal discretion to a high level of engagement toward public service values such as impartiality and fairness.