Presentation Schedule
From Street-Level to Screen-Level Bureaucracy: The Transformation of Discretion in Surabaya’s Digital Public Services (107597)
Saturday, 9 May 2026 15:45
Session: Poster Session
Room: Hall B5 Foyer
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
This study investigates the shift from street-level to screen-level bureaucracy, where human judgement can be minimized by digital interfaces and algorithmic systems in five top-performing digital governments in Indonesia. Data were collected through focus group discussions with street-level bureaucrats, direct observations at public service offices, online questionnaires to 543 bureaucrats, and sentiment analysis of over 3.000 reviews on public service applications, which then analysed thematically. The results show that digitalization cannot completely eliminate discretion but rather relocates it. Digital systems provide standardization, yet human intervention remains crucial to bridge the divide between centralized data and local realities. Discretionary power acts as a corrective tool, emerging through community deliberations and informal practices to ensure services continue during technical disruptions. In sectors like healthcare, "ethical discretion", where bureaucrats consciously override algorithmic rules to prioritize human safety and urgent needs, places human safety above rigid algorithmic rules, though the study also acknowledges contexts where unregulated discretion risks inconsistency and accountability deficits. Bureaucrats use discretion as a risk-mitigation strategy by moving digital disputes to in-person discussions for clearer communication. The study also finds that even in highly automated environments, human agency is vital for fair and accountable public services, as discretion becomes embedded within data and algorithms rather than disappearing. These findings carry direct implications for digital governance reform in Indonesia and comparable developing economics,suggesting that effective automation policy must institutionalise, rather than eliminate, human judgment at the interface of algorithmic systems and citizen needs.
Authors:
Erna Setijaningrum, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Agie Nugroho Soegiono, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Nurul Jamila Hariani, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
About the Presenter(s)
Ms Nurul Jamila Hariani is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia
Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nurul-jamila-hariani-86139195/
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