Street-level bureaucrats(SLBs) are required to navigate a labyrinth of multiple values conflicts in public service. Based on dual-principal-agent theory and using a survey experiment (N = 1669) conducted in China, this study explores how vertical values conflicts experienced by SLBs as dual-role agents and horizontal workplace social capital available to them as organizational members influence SLBs' voicing. Findings reveal that prioritizing professional rather than individual value positively influences SLBs' willingness to voice, but this effect is dampened by state's values. Among three types of workplace social capital, bonding social capital increases willingness to voice among SLBs who prioritize state's values.

Wang Yean, Wu Yixin, Fan Changyu, Xie Zixiang, Zheng Guanghuai. Discovering the labyrinth: the complex interplay of values conflicts and the voicing dilemmas of street-level bureaucrats [J]. Public Management Review, DOI:10.1080/14719037.2026.2661721.