{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7128613322","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.10039","title":"Budgeting Discretion: Theory and Evidence on Street-Level Decision-Making","display_name":"Budgeting Discretion: Theory and Evidence on Street-Level Decision-Making","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-02-10","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7128613322","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.10039"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"pmh:doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.10039","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":null,"pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4406922384","display_name":"Open MIND","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Article"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":null,"any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5043254015","display_name":"Gaurab Pokharel","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":true,"raw_author_name":"Pokharel, Gaurab","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5125638332","display_name":"Sanmay Das","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Das, Sanmay","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5032825437","display_name":"Patrick J. Fowler","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3941-3916"},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Fowler, Patrick J.","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":3,"corresponding_author_ids":["https://openalex.org/A5043254015"],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10646","display_name":"Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies","score":0.15139999985694885,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3311","display_name":"Safety Research"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10646","display_name":"Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies","score":0.15139999985694885,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3311","display_name":"Safety Research"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11182","display_name":"Auction Theory and Applications","score":0.09830000251531601,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1803","display_name":"Management Science and Operations Research"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/18","display_name":"Decision Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10315","display_name":"Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics","score":0.06260000169277191,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1800","display_name":"General Decision Sciences"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/18","display_name":"Decision Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/discretion","display_name":"Discretion","score":0.9496999979019165},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/consistency","display_name":"Consistency (knowledge bases)","score":0.6610999703407288},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/work","display_name":"Work (physics)","score":0.41819998621940613},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/dilemma","display_name":"Dilemma","score":0.3736000061035156},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/foundation","display_name":"Foundation (evidence)","score":0.3732999861240387},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/bureaucracy","display_name":"Bureaucracy","score":0.32199999690055847}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777632292","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q315515","display_name":"Discretion","level":2,"score":0.9496999979019165},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776436953","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5163215","display_name":"Consistency (knowledge bases)","level":2,"score":0.6610999703407288},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C175444787","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q39072","display_name":"Microeconomics","level":1,"score":0.47679999470710754},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C162324750","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8134","display_name":"Economics","level":0,"score":0.47099998593330383},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C18762648","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42213","display_name":"Work (physics)","level":2,"score":0.41819998621940613},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2778496695","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q254128","display_name":"Dilemma","level":2,"score":0.3736000061035156},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780966255","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5474306","display_name":"Foundation (evidence)","level":2,"score":0.3732999861240387},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144133560","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4830453","display_name":"Business","level":0,"score":0.34439998865127563},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C51575053","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q72468","display_name":"Bureaucracy","level":3,"score":0.32199999690055847},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777212361","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5127848","display_name":"Class (philosophy)","level":2,"score":0.30790001153945923},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2778755073","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10858537","display_name":"Scale (ratio)","level":2,"score":0.2962000072002411},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C162118730","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1128453","display_name":"Actuarial science","level":1,"score":0.29499998688697815},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C100001284","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2248246","display_name":"Public economics","level":1,"score":0.2924000024795532},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.28540000319480896},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C127729010","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60165","display_name":"Dynamic inconsistency","level":2,"score":0.2791000008583069},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C28761237","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7805321","display_name":"Time horizon","level":2,"score":0.2777999937534332},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C11534374","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7805280","display_name":"Time consistency","level":2,"score":0.26499998569488525}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":2,"locations":[{"id":"pmh:doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.10039","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":null,"pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4406922384","display_name":"Open MIND","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Article"},{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.10039","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.10039","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"article"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"pmh:doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.10039","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":null,"pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4406922384","display_name":"Open MIND","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Article"},"sustainable_development_goals":[{"display_name":"Peace, Justice and strong institutions","id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/16","score":0.5116135478019714}],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Street-level":[0],"bureaucrats,":[1],"such":[2],"as":[3,39,48,73,247],"caseworkers":[4],"and":[5,30,91,122,156,227,243,259],"border":[6],"guards":[7],"routinely":[8],"face":[9],"the":[10,117,139,151,160,215,218],"dilemma":[11],"of":[12,58,136,150,153,217],"whether":[13],"to":[14,85],"follow":[15,108],"rigid":[16],"policy":[17,90],"or":[18],"exercise":[19],"discretion":[20,38,47,60,72,114,147,184,237],"based":[21],"on":[22,159,221],"professional":[23],"judgement.":[24],"However,":[25],"frequent":[26],"overrides":[27,107,207],"threaten":[28],"consistency":[29],"introduce":[31],"bias,":[32],"explaining":[33],"why":[34],"bureaucracies":[35],"often":[36],"ration":[37],"a":[40,49,55,74,88,94,100,109,120,130,202,253],"finite":[41,101],"resource.":[42],"While":[43],"prior":[44],"work":[45],"models":[46],"static":[50],"cost-benefit":[51],"tradeoff,":[52],"we":[53],"lack":[54],"principled":[56],"model":[57],"how":[59],"should":[61],"be":[62,239],"rationed":[63],"over":[64,99],"time":[65,121],"under":[66],"real":[67],"operational":[68,209],"constraints.":[69],"We":[70,104,195],"formalize":[71],"dynamic":[75,110],"allocation":[76],"problem":[77],"in":[78,171],"which":[79,142],"an":[80,143,248],"agent":[81,145],"receives":[82],"stochastic":[83],"opportunities":[84],"improve":[86],"upon":[87],"default":[89],"must":[92],"spend":[93,192],"limited":[95],"override":[96,257],"budget":[97],"K":[98],"horizon":[102],"T.":[103],"show":[105],"that":[106,236],"threshold":[111],"rule:":[112],"use":[113],"only":[115,158],"when":[116,223,245],"opportunity":[118],"exceeds":[119],"budget-dependent":[123],"cutoff.":[124],"Our":[125],"main":[126],"theoretical":[127],"contribution":[128],"identifies":[129],"behavioral":[131],"invariance:":[132],"for":[133,185,255],"location-scale":[134],"families":[135],"improvement":[137],"distributions,":[138],"rate":[140],"at":[141,214],"optimal":[144,179],"exercises":[146],"is":[148,225],"independent":[149],"scale":[152],"potential":[154],"gains":[155,176,188],"depends":[157],"distribution's":[161],"shape":[162],"(e.g.,":[163],"tail":[164],"heaviness).":[165],"This":[166],"result":[167],"implies":[168],"systematic":[169],"differences":[170],"discretionary":[172],"\"policy":[173],"personality.\"":[174],"When":[175,187],"are":[177,181,189,212],"fat-tailed,":[178],"agents":[180,191],"patient,":[182],"conserving":[183],"outliers.":[186],"thin-tailed,":[190],"more":[193],"routinely.":[194],"illustrate":[196],"these":[197],"implications":[198],"using":[199],"data":[200],"from":[201],"homelessness":[203],"services":[204],"system.":[205],"Discretionary":[206],"track":[208],"constraints:":[210],"they":[211],"higher":[213],"start":[216],"workweek,":[219],"suppressed":[220],"weekends":[222],"intake":[224],"offline,":[226],"shift":[228],"with":[229],"short-run":[230],"housing":[231],"capacity.":[232],"These":[233],"results":[234],"suggest":[235],"can":[238],"both":[240],"procedurally":[241],"constrained":[242],"welfare-improving":[244],"treated":[246],"explicitly":[249],"budgeted":[250],"resource,":[251],"providing":[252],"foundation":[254],"auditing":[256],"patterns":[258],"designing":[260],"decision-support":[261],"systems.":[262]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-05-05T08:41:31.759640","created_date":"2026-02-12T00:00:00"}