The role of inter-organizational competition in motivating street-level bureaucrats to adopt policy entrepreneurship strategies: The case of Israeli rabbis in government hospitals

What is the role of inter-organizational competition in motivating street-level bureaucrats to adopt policy entrepreneurship strategies? What are their main goals in adopting such strategies? We argue that in the wake of New Public Management, inter-organizational competition encourages street-level bureaucrats to adopt policy entrepreneurship strategies. We further suggest that three competition-oriented elements motivate entrepreneurial initiatives at the street level: 1) personal, 2) organizational (inter-organizational and intra-organizational) and 3) Cultural-demographic. Additionally, we argue that the goal of street-level bureaucrats as policy entrepreneurs is to influence public policy results for their own benefit. They do so because they and their organizations are rewarded financially as their clients’ satisfaction with the services provided increases. Using in-depth interviews, online questionnaires, and textual analysis, we test these claims by analyzing the case of Israeli rabbis in government hospitals. We demonstrate how their goal in entrepreneurship is mainly to attract patients to their organization.