Disclosing performance information at the frontline: The impact on enforcement style

Governments use various regulatory instruments and actors to stimulate compliance of inspectees. One increasingly applied instrument is disclosing information about compliance performance of inspectees for other stakeholders.... [ view full abstract ]

Governments use various regulatory instruments and actors to stimulate compliance of inspectees. One increasingly applied instrument is disclosing information about compliance performance of inspectees for other stakeholders. Disclosing information about inspections, however, also increases visibility of inspectors’ work. This study shows that the disclosure of performance information impacts street-level enforcement style. Using a large survey (n = 507) among Dutch inspectors, a direct positive relationship is found between perceived disclosure of information and a formal coercion, educational and accommodation enforcement style. In addition, the study also shows that perceived resistance of inspectees does not mediate the relationship between perceived disclosure and the three enforcement style. Possible explanations and directions for future research are presented