Why and How Do Street‐Level Managers Mobilise Informal Resources as a Routine Managerial Tool?

ABSTRACT Street‐level implementation work routinely involves navigating resource scarcity while still meeting policy demands. Recent literature suggests that frontline workers cope with these challenges through informal practices, including the use of personal resources. This study expands contemporary knowledge by examining the role of street‐level managers and the impact of organizational resources. Using a mixed‐methods design, we examine why and how primary school principals in two Brazilian municipalities with different education budgets utilise personal resources. The quantitative survey of 92 principals shows that these informal practices are routine. Principals fundraise, solicit donations from families and communities, mobilise contributions from teachers, and donate their own money and unpaid time. The qualitative phase, consisting of 26 in‐depth interviews, demonstrates that rather than mere resource scarcity, principals mobilise personal and informal resources and engage in legitimising the use of informal resources from others as a managerial tool for addressing imperatives associated with multiple public sector reforms. The study contributes by demonstrating that the mobilisation of informal resources has become institutionalised as part of street‐level managerial work regardless of the level of formal resources available, as it allows managers to respond to local needs and implementation challenges that cannot be adequately addressed through formal resources alone.