Abstract
This study draws on Behavioural Public Administration (Moseley and Thomann, 2021) and Conservation of Resources theory (Hobfoll et al., 2018) to examine how red tape influences public value through employee wellbeing among healthcare street-level bureaucrats. Two-wave survey data were collected from Australian healthcare employees (4-week interval; December 2023). Structural equation modelling (AMOS v.30) and mediation analysis (SPSS PROCESS) were used to test the hypothesised relationships. Results indicate that red tape is not directly related to public value but has a significant indirect effect through reduced employee wellbeing. These findings demonstrate that integrating behavioural and resource-based perspectives provides a more comprehensive explanation of public value delivery. The results highlight the importance of reducing red tape to protect employee wellbeing and sustain service quality, with implications for organisational practice and policy, particularly in advancing sustainable development goals related to health, wellbeing, and decent work.
Keywords: red tape; employee wellbeing; public value; street-level bureaucrats.