“It's Who You Know:” Bureaucratic Responsiveness in the Rural South

ABSTRACT Research examines how decentralized policy implementation creates unequal access to safety net programs in the US. Yet, scholars have not unpacked how community contexts shape how welfare agencies operate on the ground. This is especially the case for the rural South, an oft‐overlooked context where local influence has historically undermined the equitable provision of social welfare programs. We know surprisingly little about how “small‐town” norms, values, hierarchies, and politics make their way into the day‐to‐day life of welfare offices. Drawing from 43 in‐depth interviews with front‐line bureaucrats, I demonstrate how the political and social order of one southern rural community undermines policy implementation. Interviews show that this rural southern welfare office was (1) deeply affected by economic decline; (2) was situated in a community where strong rather than weak social ties determine economic opportunities, and (3) vulnerable to the influence of white power elites in county‐level government. These three factors can undermine effective policy implementation, harming vulnerable families.