Discretion on the frontlines of the implementation of the Ghana School Feeding Programme: Street-Level Bureaucrats adapting to austerity in northern Ghana

Ghana's economy faltered in 2012, culminating in the country requesting a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Typical of IMF financial assistance, the approval of this bailout was hinged on the government agreeing to implement some conditionalities. In fulfilment of the IMF conditionalities, the government in 2015 adopted fiscal austerity. Using Michael Lipsky's Street-Level Bureaucrat conceptual framework, this paper investigates the implications of Ghana's fiscal austerity programme for the implementation of the country's school feeding programme. Specifically, the paper examines the coping strategies adopted by the service providers to endure the challenges of delivering the programme within the climate of austerity. The findings highlight how financial challenges can lead to inadequate service delivery, as the service providers adopt a host of discretionary practices such as compromising the quality of meals served, the delivery of cheaper-to-prepare diets and an inconsistent service delivery regime. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.