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The final paper
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The title of the final paper reads:
"Her Majesty's Clients. Client Service in the social assistance scheme from a structural-functional viewpoint."
The first part of the title sounds good, but the second boring. Nonetheless, the second part reveals the author's views on the subject. Object of study is social assistance. Simply enough, only two questions are important. 1. What is social assistance? 2. How does the author look at social assistance?
Techniques
Dealing with the first question, social assistance is one of the techniques in collective action to relieve social needs such as poverty, deficiency, disadvantage. Social assistance is that part of the social security support system which contributes to a state of society, in which the poor are aware of their full integration in society, in which they have self-control, and in which they can realize themselves. The focus is on the structure, the societal situation.
Metaphor
The second question asks for a view or metaphor of the author. Social assistance, then, is to be seen as a form of collective action. In the functional-structural approach, which is displayed in the functional-interdependent system-model (fis-model) collective action is reduced to a social structure in which an exchange by four subsystems exists. Parsons, the grand man of functional-structural theories, mentioned four subsystems:
- the economic subsystem: economy
- the political subsystem: polity
- the community
- the social cultural subsystem.
Function
Each subsystem has its own function. Economy must take care of an optimal allocation and distribution of goods, services, opportunities et cetera, so that a societal system prospers. This function is called 'Adaptation'. Polity must come to an agreement in public affairs. Its function is called 'Goal-Attainment'. Community has the task to reach an optimal solidarity in society. Its function is called Integration. The social cultural subsystem serves the latent value-patterns in action and reflection to filfull its mission of Latency or Pattern-Maintenance.
Market
Social assistance is to be seen as a market, i.e. the social assistance market. On this market a mixed play of factors, institutions, processes and exchange conditions determine supply of and demand for social assistance. Client Service is the main theme of the paper. It is defined as follows:
"Client Service implies the orientation of the performance towards the client."
Client Service attributes to a state of mutual interdependence. I shall expand on two interrelations. The first one concerns an exchange among the political and social cultural subsystem, viz. the case of legitimacy. The ratio between power effectiveness and reason is examined. In this issue the two subsystems (political and social cultural) are each other's customer or client.
Exchange
The other interrelation takes place in the exchange between the economic and the community subsystems, and deals with the issue of distribution. The just balance between economic and social forces, between efficiency and justice, is important. The objective of their intercourse is a just and efficient distribution of goods, provisions, opportunities et cetera. The two subsystems (economy and community) are each other's customer or client.
The exchange relations may function smoothly. Decay is also possible, which consequently produces conflict, mutual isolation, flexibility or rigidity. In an optimal state of the system there exists a mutual interdependence, or, put differently, the situation of interpenetration is actual. Reaching such a state requires from each subsystem an optimal attribution, i.e. an optimal mutual exchange and an optimal mutual communication. The quality of communication is to be measured by standards of mutual consult and understanding.
In the exchange between polity and the social cultural system, decay is manifested in the legitimacy crisis. In the interrelation between economy and community, poverty is a sign of a disfunctioning relationship.
State intervention
At the social assistance market the state intervenes so strongly that people narrow mutual support at a subsistence level down to state assistance. The state has the legal guide to guarantee its subjects a minimum legal provision. Implementation takes place by local authorities and bureaucracies, the Departments of Social Assistance (DSA). The social assistance market is the immediate environment.
Perception
Client Service shows itself in the client's perception of the performance of the DSA. The satisfaction of a client denotes the type of interrelation between DSA and client. This relationship finds its place in the issue of legitimacy. It is a particular kind of exchange between the political and social cultural subsystems, between government action and the clients' expectations. The Client Service on the one hand and the client's expectations on the other effect the client's satisfaction.
Organization
An organization has basic characteristics which are to be reduced to the type of organization. The DSA is essentially a commonweal organization, for her primary beneficiaries are the public at large, and not the clients in direct contact. Its core mission is protection from and the administration of the poorer population. Further on, democratic decision-making directs the content of collective action. The three basic functions (transfer, integration, care) belong in a commonweal, for the society, united in the state, guarantees a careful implementation of provisions at minimal subsistence level.
Modern trends such as privatization, professionalism and debureaucratization are problems, as well as challenges to a Client Service.
Subcontracting tasks from a commonweal into a business concern is called 'privatization'. Advantages are cost-efficiency and the managerial benefit: instead of legal rational planning, the invisible hand of the market will supply efficient and effective exchanges. However, when privatization affects the heart of a DSA, the DSA becomes a franchise business. Private entrepreneurs make profit by taking over public tasks. They bear no responsibility in public affairs, for they have no political liability.
Professionalism strengthens the role of the experts and weakens democratic control. Best example is the position of the medical professions in providing health to the whole population. When experts rule in a commonweal, technocracy is a fact. On the other hand, too much power handed over to the clients threatens the DSA as well; consumers are insatiable. They look at the public social service agency as a supermarket.
Debureaucratization
In finding an appropriate answer to the trend of debureaucratization, it is good to take notice of the reasons. One refers for instance to a flexible government leaning on antibureaucratic principles like the minimal critical specification. In this specification, management takes place through common values and norms (corporate culture) and makes use of only input and output standards. Fine tuning belongs on a lower level, at the floor.
In an interaction between a flexible government agency, and clients, the latter must change their attitude. Bureaucratic competence yields for negotiating faculties. The DSA grants more wisdom in pragmatic policy and political acceptance than in legal security. Besides each local DSA gets a high degree of discretionary justice, risking ill-feelings with its clients. Paradoxically the DSA gains less and less legitimacy, despite its aim to narrow the gap between government and citizen.
Balance
In reaching a state of interpenetration at organizational level, balances are needed: a balance between bureaucratization and networking, a balance between core public duties and tasks to be boarded out, a balance between professionalism and democratic control.
Communication is also necessary. Otherwise, the danger exists that situations of conflict and mutual isolation might occur. Especially in network structures these states are disfunctional.
