Majka Ryan’s informative book introduces readers to an increasingly central issue in modern welfare states—the use of residency rules to control access to benefits. She explores how these rules are interpreted and applied on the ground through a rich and engaging case study. Drawing on street-level theory, she sets out the cloud of ambiguous policies and the organizational tensions within which decisions must be made and explores the central role of discretion in decision-making. This is an engaging and well-written study that also explores how moral commitments and organizational socialization contribute to the uses of discretion. The question of democratic accountability is central to the argument of this book, and Ryan uses the evidence to argue that rather than seeking accountability in rule specification and compliance, accountability entails recognizing and managing discretion to ensure flexible and sensitive decision-making.

Tony Evans, emeritus professor in the School of Law and Social Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London

Discretion is both important at a conceptual level and varied at the level of practice in the context of welfare bureaucracies. An underexamined area and seemingly innocuous, how discretion works is, in reality, vastly complex. In this work of impressive scholarship, Ryan skillfully brings together the conceptual and the practical to offer compelling insights into how welfare bureaucracies in Ireland function from day to day. Essential reading.

Joe Whelan, Trinity College, assistant professor, School of Social Work and Social Policy, The University of Dublin

'Discretion, like the hole in a doughnut, does not exist except as an area left open by surrounding belt of restrictions,' Roland Dworkin famously said in 1978. In a systematic approach, the book elaborates on the space created by 'surrounding restrictions', and shows how it is in a constant flux, as those who apply to rules and those who make the rules, form, test, and re-form the interpretation of the restrictions. The reader is then immersed in the processes through which the street-level bureaucrats make use of the discretion they have in the interstitial space between law, organizational guidelines, and their own ethics and sense of duty. The analysis draws on the well-chosen case of habitual residence, a criterion set in place to help evaluate demands for social assistance and distinguish those legitimate from the abusive ones.
With a readable style and full of rich information, this book is a must for scholars steeped in the debates related to the role, scope, and impact of street-level bureaucrats’ discretion, and for anyone interested in the intricacies of bureaucratic decision making. The multitude of revealing quotes show professional bureaucrats grappling with ethical questions, while at the same time balancing the expectations set by their organizations and the application of the legal framework, rules, and procedures. The author’s main argument is that professional morality is both rational and pragmatic, and it is guided by experience embedded in social structure and organizational socialization.

Romana Careja, University of Southern Denmark

Majka Ryan’s book makes an excellent contribution to the literature on street level bureaucracy in welfare states. By tackling the ambiguity involved in interpreting and implementing residence-based welfare conditionality through an Irish case study, Ryan offers original and compelling insights into the workings of moral economy at ground level and how this affects migrant entitlement to social security in particular.

Fiona Dukelow, School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, Ireland