Information behaviour in legal decision-making: a literature review of models relevant to street-level bureaucrats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47989/ir31357089Keywords:
street-level bureaucrats, information behaviour, asylum caseworkers, country of origin informationAbstract
Introduction. We investigated the information behaviour of street-level bureaucrats (individuals in public services). Our two objectives were: first to develop a theoretical framework that supports interdisciplinary research on legal decision-making processes, and second to deepen our understanding of how these individuals collect and use information in contexts such as asylum decision-making.
Method. We conducted a comprehensive literature review, systematically searching for relevant publications and empirical studies related to the information behaviour of street-level bureaucrats. Following a thorough selection process, we identified 34 relevant publications.
Analysis. For our qualitative analysis, we first coded the process-based models identified in the publications, followed by the findings from the empirical studies. We then compared the resulting codes to categorise the elements of information behaviour, merged them, and grouped them into three clusters.
Results. We regard these clusters as components: activities, users, and information. Together with their respective elements, these components form a new framework and provide a methodological contribution to the study of legal decision-making processes. The framework was then applied to analyse the use of country of origin information by Dutch asylum caseworkers, informed by findings from a previous literature review on their information behaviour.
Conclusion. The developed conceptual framework may serve as a basis for future empirical research into the information behaviour of street-level bureaucrats, particularly asylum caseworkers. This (future) research on information behaviour introduces a valuable and novel perspective on legal decision-making processes. Gaining greater insights into how decision-makers seek, select, create, interpret, and communicate information facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of legal decision-making processes.
References
ACCORD. (2024). Researching Country of origin information. https://web.archive.org/web/20250627225529/https://www.coi-training.net/researching-coi/
ACCORD. (2025). ACUTE Project on AI - COI Resources—Ecoi.net. ecoi.net. https://www.ecoi.net/en/coi-resources/acute-artificial-intelligence-for-country-of-origin-information-understanding-technical-and-ethical-implications/
Adviescommissie voor Vreemdelingenzaken. (2020). Bijlage bij Kamerstuk II, 2019-2020, 19637 nr. 2644, Weten en wegen, Advies over het gebruik van landeninformatie in de asielprocedure. https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/blg-942063
Affolter, L. (2021). Getting in Line with the Office. In L. Affolter (Red.), Asylum Matters: On the Front Line of Administrative Decision-Making (pp. 117-153). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61512-3_5
Agarwal, N. K. (2022). Integrating models and integrated models: Towards a unified model of information seeking behaviour. Information Research-an International Electronic Journal, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.47989/irpaper922
Ault, J. T., & Gleason, J. M. (2003). US Government decision makers’ expectations and patterns of use of emerging and existing information technologies. Government Information Quarterly, 20(1), 63-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0740-624x(02)00135-1
Bates, M. J. (2010). Information. In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (3de dr., p. 14). CRC Press.
Baude, W., Chilton, A. S., & Malani, A. (2017). Making doctrinal work more rigorous: Lessons from systematic reviews. University of Chicago Law Review, 84(1), 37-58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44211824
Buimer, L., & Maasland, T. (2024). Waarom is het steeds complexer om een asielbesluit te nemen? JNvR, 8.
Byström, K., & Hansen, P. (2005). Conceptual framework for tasks in information studies. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 56(10), 1050-1061. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20197
Byström, K., & Järvelin, K. (1995). Task complexity affects information seeking and use. Information Processing & Management, 31(2), 191-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4573(95)80035-R
Cantarelli, P., Belle, N., & Hall, J. L. (2023). Information use in public administration and policy decision-making: A research synthesis. Public Administration Review, 83(6), 1667-1686. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13735
Case, D. O., & Given, L. M. (2016a). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior (4de dr.). Emerald.
Case, D. O., & Given, L. M. (2016b). Models and theories of information behavior. In Looking for Information: Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs and Behavior, Second Edition.
Case, D. O., & Given, L. M. (2016c). Research by roles and context. In Looking for Information: Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs and Behavior, Second Edition.
Chang, A., & Brewer, G. A. (2023). Street-level bureaucracy in public administration: A systematic literature review. Public Management Review, 25(11), 2191-2211. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2022.2065517
Choo, C. W., Bergeron, P., Detlor, B., & Heaton, L. (2008). Information culture and information use: An exploratory study of three organizations. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59(5), 792-804. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20797
Dumbrava, C. (2025, juli). Artificial intelligence in asylum procedures in the EU. European Parliamentary Research Service.
EUAA. (2023). Country of Origin Information (COI) Report Methodology. https://archive.org/details/2023-02-euaa-coi-report-methodology-rebranded
European Migration Network. (2015). Ad-Hoc Query on the interpretation of the Article 8 paragraph 2 of the Directive 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 (recast Qualification Directive). https://www.udi.no/globalassets/global/european-migration-network_i/ad-hoc-queries/sk_emn_ncp_ad_hoc_query_summary.pdf
Fisher, K. E., Erdelez, S., & McKechnie, L. E. (2005). Theories of information behavior. Information Today, Inc.
Ford, N. (2015). Models and theories in information behaviour research. In N. Ford (Red.), Introduction to information behaviour. Facet Publishing.
Fötsch, N. (2022). Op zoek naar landeninformatie. Het informatiegedrag van beslismedewerkers, advocaten en rechters in de asielprocedure. A&MR, 6-7, 367-374. https://hdl.handle.net/2066/253111
Godbold, N. (2006). Beyond information seeking: Towards a general model of information behaviour. Information Research, 11(4). http://InformationR.net/ir/11-4/paper269.html.
Greifeneder, E., & Schlebbe, K. (2022). How things fit together: A general model of the information behaviour field. Information Research-an International Electronic Journal, 27 (Special Issue). https://doi.org/doi:10.47989/irisic2228
IND. (2020). Werkinstructie 2020/17. Het gebruik van bronnen en landeninformatie binnen het asielproces. https://puc.overheid.nl/ind/doc/PUC_1264645_1/1/
IND. (2024). Jaarplan 2025. https://archive.org/details/ind-jaarplan-2025
Inspectie Justitie en Veiligheid. (2022). Bijlage bij Kamerstukken II, 2021-2022, 19637, nr. 2888, Tijd voor kwaliteit. Een onderzoek naar de Algemene Asielprocedure. https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/blg-1028614
Irvine-Smith, S. (2019). Who you gonna call? Seeking information and expertise for decision making in local government. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 56(1), 117-126. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.61
Kanoulas, E. (2025). Unlocking Artificial Intelligence’s Potential in COI Research (Research Paper No. 44, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)). https://www.refworld.org/reference/lpprs/unhcr/2025/en/149514
Katopol, P. F. (2007). ‘Just Enough’ Information: Information Behaviour, Organizational Culture, and Decision Making in Municipal Government. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science-Revue Canadienne Des Sciences De L Information Et De Bibliotheconomie, 31(3-4), 233-247.
Kinchin, N., & Mougouei, D. (2022). What Can Artificial Intelligence Do for Refugee Status Determination? A Proposal for Removing Subjective Fear. International Journal of Refugee Law, 34(3-4), 373-397. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijrl/eeac040
Kostense, L. (2024). Systematisch literatuuronderzoek De toegevoegde waarde van een scoping review voor juridisch literatuuronderzoek. Law and Method, 13, 1-19. https://www.boomportaal.nl/tijdschrift/LaM/lawandmethod-D-23-00008
Kuhlthau, C. C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s perspective. Journal of the American Society for information Science, 42(5), 361-371. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(199106)42:5<361::AID-ASI6>3.0.CO;2-#
Leckie, G. J., Pettigrew, K. E., & Sylvain, C. (1996). Modeling the information seeking of professionals: A general model derived from research on engineers, health care professionals, and lawyers. Library Quarterly, 66(2), 161-193.
Levin, M. A. (1991). The Information-Seeking Behavior of Local Government Officials. The American Review of Public Administration, 21(4), 271-286. https://doi.org/10.1177/027507409102100401
Lindberg, A., & Borrelli, L. M. (2019). Let the right one in? On European migration authorities’ resistance to research. Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale, 27(S1), 17-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8676.12659
Lipsky, M. (2010). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services (30th anniversary expanded ed). Russell Sage Foundation.
Maasland, T., Buimer, L., & Koopmans, J. (2023). Is de complexiteit van het nemen van een asielbesluit veranderd? Ervaringen, oorzaken en handelingsperspectieven. Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid, Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, Directie Strategie en Uitvoeringsadvies, Afdeling Onderzoek en Analyse. https://ind.nl/nl/documenten/04-2025/rapport-complexiteit-bij-het-nemen-van-een-asielbesluit.pdf
Meyer, H. W. J. (2016). Untangling the building blocks: A generic model to explain information behaviour to novice researchers. Information Research, 21.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (Fourth edition). SAGE; WorldCat.
Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. (2022). Werkinstructie individuele ambtsberichten van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. https://archive.org/details/puc-1264645-1-1.
Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. (2023). Werkinstructie ambtsberichten van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. Ministerie van Algemene Zaken. https://archive.org/details/werkinstructie-ambtsberichten
Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid. (2023, april 25). ‘We moeten serieus bekijken hoe AI ons werk makkelijker kan maken’. VreemdelingenVisie 38. https://www.vreemdelingenvisie.nl/vreemdelingenvisie/2023/03/gdisc-conferentie
Munn, Z., Peters, M. D. J., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
Munn, Z., Pollock, D., Khalil, H., Alexander, L., Mclnerney, P., Godfrey, C. M., Peters, M., & Tricco, A. C. (2022). What are scoping reviews? Providing a formal definition of scoping reviews as a type of evidence synthesis. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 20(4), 950. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-21-00483
Ndumbaro, F. (2023). Models of collaborative information behaviour (CIB): A meta-synthesis. Information Development, 41(1). https://doi.org/doi:10.1177/02666669231158334
Niedźwiedzka, B. (2003). A proposed general model of information behaviour. Information Research, 9(1). http://InformationR.net/ir/9-1/paper164.html.
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Prekop, P. (2002). A qualitative study of collaborative information seeking. Journal of Documentation, 58(5), 533-547. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410210441000
Robson, A., & Robinson, L. (2013). Building on models of information behaviour: Linking information seeking and communication. Journal of Documentation, 69(2), 169-193. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411311300039
Rosset, D., & Achermann, C. (2019). Negotiating research in the shadow of migration control: Access, knowledge and cognitive authority. Social Anthropology, 27, 49-67. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8676.12644
Savolainen, R. (2019). Modeling the interplay of information seeking and information sharing A conceptual analysis. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 71(4), 518-534. https://doi.org/doi:10.1108/ajim-10-2018-0266
Savolainen, R. (2021). Levels of critique in models and concepts of human information behaviour research. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 73(5), 772-791. https://doi.org/doi:10.1108/ajim-01-2021-0028
Schittenhelm, K., & Schneider, S. (2017). Official standards and local knowledge in asylum procedures: Decision-making in Germany’s asylum system. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 43(10), 1696-1713. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1293592
Severijns, R. W. J. (2019). Zoeken naar zekerheid. Een onderzoek naar de vaststelling van feiten door hoor-en beslismedewerkers van de Immigratie-en Naturalisatiedienst in de Nederlandse asielprocedure. Deventer: Wolters Kluwer.
Shenton, A. K., & Hay-Gibson, N. V. (2012). Information behaviour meta-models. Library Review, 61(2), 92-109. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242531211220735
St Jean, B., Gorham, U., & Bonsignore, E. (2021). Information Behavior Models and Theories. In Understanding human information behavior: When, how, and why people interact with information (pp. 181-204). Rowman & Littlefield.
TOELT. (2020). Bijlage bij Kamerstuk II, 2019-2020, 19637, nr. 2644, Reactie op advies Weten en wegen, Kamerstuk II, 2019-2020, 19637, nr. 2644. https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/blg-942063.
Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O’Brien, K. K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., Moher, D., Peters, M. D., Horsley, T., & Weeks, L. (2018). PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and explanation. Annals of internal medicine, 169(7), 467-473. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850
Tsangarides, N. (2009). The Politics of Knowledge: An Examination of the Use of Country Information in the Asylum Determination Process. Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law, 23(3), 252-263.
van der Kist, J. (2024). Making workable knowledge for asylum decisions: On tinkering with country of origin information. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 50(9), 2309-2326. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2307784
Whetsell, T. A., Kroll, A., & DeHart-Davis, L. (2021). Formal Hierarchies and Informal Networks: How Organizational Structure Shapes Information Search in Local Government. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 31(4), 653-669. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muab003
Widén, G., Steinerová, J., & Voisey, P. (2014). Conceptual modelling of workplace information practices: A literature review. Information Research-an International Electronic Journal, 19(4). http://InformationR.net/ir/19-4/isic/isic08.html
Wilson, T. D. (1999). Models in information behaviour research. Journal of Documentation, 55(3), 249-270. https://doi.org/doi:10.1108/eum0000000007145
Yang, T. M., & Wu, Y. J. (2021). Looking for datasets to open: An exploration of government officials’ information behaviors in open data policy implementation. Government Information Quarterly, 38(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2021.101574
Zhong, H., Han, Z. B., & Hansen, P. (2023). A systematic review of information practices research. Journal of Documentation, 79(1), 245-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/jd-02-2022-0044
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Norma Fötsch, Jos van Helvoort
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
