Looking at discretion broadly as the exercise of controlled freedom, this edited volume introduces insights from a range of social sciences perspectives. Contributors from a range of disciplines explore the idea of discretion and related notions of freedom and control across social and political practices and in different contexts.

1 Conceptualizing Discretion (Tony Evans, Peter Hupe).- Part I. Discretion in Context.- 2 Discretion in Context: An Introduction (Peter Hupe, Tony Evans).- 3 Discretion and Blame Avoidance (Christopher Hood).- 4 Discretion in the Surveillance State (Mark Hardy).- 5 Discretion in the Welfare State (Evelyn Brodkin).- 6 Discretion and Welfare Rights in a British Context (Michael Hill).- 7 Discretion and Empowerment (Greg Marston, Danielle Davidson).- Part II. Perspectives on Discretion.- 8 Perspectives on Discretion: An Introduction (Tony Evans, Peter Hupe).- 9 Discretion from a Legal Perspective (Peter Mascini).- 10 Discretion from an Economic Perspective (Dirk Wolfson).- 11 Discretion from a Psychological Perspective (Lars Tummers, Victor Bekkers).- 12 Discretion from a Sociological Perspective (Zachary Oberfield).- 13 Discretion from a Critical Perspective (Hannah Jobling).- Part III. Discretion in Governance.- 14 Discretion in Governance: An Introduction (Peter Hupe, Tony Evans).-15 Discretion and Bureaucracy (Paul du Gay, Kirstine Zinck Pedersen).- 16 Discretion in the Policy Process (Peter Hupe, Michael Hill).- 17 Discretion and Street-Level Practice (Hendrik Wagenaar).- 18 Organized Discretion (Suzanne Rutz, Antoinette de Bont).- 19 Managerial Discretion (Catherine Needham).- 20 Automated Discretion (Stavros Zouridis, Marlies van Eck, Mark Bovens).- Part IV. Practising Freedom and Control.- 21 Practising Freedom and Control: An Introduction (Tony Evans, Peter Hupe).- 22 Expertise and the Space for Discretion (Michael Luntley).- 23 Discretion and Professional Work (Tony Evans).- 24 The Art of Discretion (Tony Evans).- 25 Discretion as Ethical Practice (Gideon Calder).- 26 Controlled Freedom: Dealing with Discretion (Peter Hupe, Tony Evans).

‘This is an essential compendium for scholars and practitioners who seek to understand the role of discretion as a fundamental element of laws, rules, and social norms. Scholarly perspectives and practical insights are enriched through consideration of the exercise, limits, and abuse of discretion in governing, organizations, and professional practice. The distinguished set of authors makes this an impressive undertaking.’ –Peter J. May, Donald R. Matthews Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Washington, USA ‘This volume addresses some of the very important practice dilemmas for professionals in our time. It provides a road map for navigating the contours of working the spaces between the restrictions of rules and the responsiveness to people in shifting contexts. It gives us hope and ways to move forward. A must-read for every professional.’ –Jan Fook, Professor and Chair, Department of Social Work, University of Vermont, USA Looking at discretion broadly as the exercise of controlled freedom, this edited volume introduces insights from a range of social sciences perspectives. Traditionally, discussions of discretion have drawn on legal notions of the appropriate exercise of legitimate authority specified by legislators. However, empirical and theoretical studies in the social sciences have extended our understanding of discretion, moving us beyond a narrow legal view. Contributors from a range of disciplines explore the idea of discretion and related notions of freedom and control across social and political practices and in different contexts. As this complex and important topic is discussed and examined, both total control and unconstrained freedom appear to be illusions. Tony Evans is Professor of Social Work at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. His research interests focus on professional practice and policy work in adult social care. Peter Hupe is Visiting Professor at the Public Governance Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium. He is also Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the College of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK. His research focuses on the theoretical-empirical study of public policy processes, particularly policy implementation and street-level bureaucracy.

“[This book] achieve a wide arrays of objectives: providing valuable analytical lenses to investigate administrative phenomena … inspiring both new research by scholars and novel ways for practitioners to conceive of their role; and, last but not least, reminding us how fascinating administrative studies can be, and how much better, more informed and insightful, public debates would be if these issues were to become part and parcel of an informed discussion. [This book] … will contribute potently to the field of public administration.” (Edoardo Ongaro, International Review of Public Administration, November 25, 2020)

“This is an essential compendium for scholars and practitioners who seek to understand the role of discretion as a fundamental element of laws, rules, and social norms. Scholarly perspectives and practical insights are enriched through consideration of the exercise, limits, and abuse of discretion in governing, organizations, and professional practice. The distinguished set of authors makes this an impressive undertaking.” (Peter J. May, Donald R. Matthews Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Washington, USA)“In ordered societies discretion is unavoidably omnipresent. It is usually conceived as the space that rules and authority leave for situated decision making by subordinates. Within this juridical perspective discretion is a leftover. This volume offers a broader, more empirical perspective on practices of discretion. It studies discretion from within different academic disciplines and in a variety of contexts. Instead of a restcategory, discretion hence emergesas a positive space that allows for creativity, judgement and trust. The importance of discretion for social order was brought home when Mario Draghi announced that the European Central Bank would do ‘whatever it takes’ to save the euro. This volume helps us understand, and better prepare for, such situations where freedom and control, discretion and rules have to be brought together.” (Herman van Gunsteren, author of The Quest for Control, Emeritus Professor of Political Theory, Leiden University, The Netherlands)  “Discretion is an inevitable yet controversial feature in public policy and law, but it is several years since a comprehensive and coherent analysis appeared in the literature. This collection of original essays, written from different disciplinary perspectives, explores this protean and elusive phenomenon in a variety of ways. The papers have been well organised and closely edited and raise our understanding of the meaning and place of discretion to a new level.” (Keith Hawkins, Professor Emeritus of Law and Society, Oxford University, UK) “This volume addresses some of the very important practice dilemmas for professionals in our time. It provides a road map for navigating the contours of working the spaces between the restrictions of rules and the responsiveness to people in shifting contexts. It gives us hope and ways to move forward. A must-read for every professional.” (Jan Fook, Professor and Chair, Department of Social Work, University of Vermont, USA)

Stimulates debate and enhances cross-disciplinary research collaboration on discretion The first edited collection to provide insights on the topic from various theoretical angles Explores a central topic in disciplines including law, the sociology of professionals and policy implementation