Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in Sweden

This article explores discretion in welfare professional work. The aim is to analyse what room for discretionary decision-making that exist in case handling of debt relief at the Swedish Enforcement Authority (SEA). The analysis is guided by a conceptual distinction between structural and epistemic...

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Main Authors: Bengt Larsson, Bengt Jacobsson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences 2013-04-01
Series:Professions and Professionalism
Online Access:https://journals.hioa.no/index.php/pp/article/view/438
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spelling doaj-8e3bb69befa7402fab5328af7274d0a72020-11-24T23:28:20ZengOslo and Akershus University College of Applied SciencesProfessions and Professionalism1893-10492013-04-013110.7577/pp.438384Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in SwedenBengt Larsson0Bengt Jacobsson1Dept. of Sociology and Work Science, University of GothenburgDepartment of Cultural Sciences, University of Gothenburg This article explores discretion in welfare professional work. The aim is to analyse what room for discretionary decision-making that exist in case handling of debt relief at the Swedish Enforcement Authority (SEA). The analysis is guided by a conceptual distinction between structural and epistemic aspects of discretion, as well as between substantive and procedural aspects. The data comprises official and internal SEA documents, interviews with management and staff and field notes from observations. The analysis points to a change in the balance between standards and discretion in relation to the on-going formalization of case handling at the SEA, though not in the simplistic sense that discretion is diminished through formalization. When taking into account the different analytical aspects of discretion, it is concluded that discretion is narrowed only in some respects. There is still space for case officers in selecting and interpreting information and assess-ing the conditions regarding subject matter. https://journals.hioa.no/index.php/pp/article/view/438
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Bengt Larsson
Bengt Jacobsson
spellingShingle Bengt Larsson
Bengt Jacobsson
Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in Sweden
Professions and Professionalism
author_facet Bengt Larsson
Bengt Jacobsson
author_sort Bengt Larsson
title Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in Sweden
title_short Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in Sweden
title_full Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in Sweden
title_fullStr Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in Sweden
title_full_unstemmed Discretion in the “Backyard of Law”: Case Handling of Debt Relief in Sweden
title_sort discretion in the “backyard of law”: case handling of debt relief in sweden
publisher Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences
series Professions and Professionalism
issn 1893-1049
publishDate 2013-04-01
description This article explores discretion in welfare professional work. The aim is to analyse what room for discretionary decision-making that exist in case handling of debt relief at the Swedish Enforcement Authority (SEA). The analysis is guided by a conceptual distinction between structural and epistemic aspects of discretion, as well as between substantive and procedural aspects. The data comprises official and internal SEA documents, interviews with management and staff and field notes from observations. The analysis points to a change in the balance between standards and discretion in relation to the on-going formalization of case handling at the SEA, though not in the simplistic sense that discretion is diminished through formalization. When taking into account the different analytical aspects of discretion, it is concluded that discretion is narrowed only in some respects. There is still space for case officers in selecting and interpreting information and assess-ing the conditions regarding subject matter.
url https://journals.hioa.no/index.php/pp/article/view/438
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