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Research Article
Open Access

Introduction: Administrative Burden as a Mechanism of Inequality in Policy Implementation

Pamela Herd, Hilary Hoynes, Jamila Michener, Donald Moynihan
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences September 2023, 9 (5) 1-30; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2023.9.5.01
Pamela Herd
aDistinguished Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University, United States
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Hilary Hoynes
bProfessor of economics and public policy and Haas Distinguished Chair of Economic Disparities at the University of California–Berkeley, United States
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Jamila Michener
cAssociate professor of government and public policy at Cornell University, United States
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Donald Moynihan
dMcCourt Chair of Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, United States.1
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Abstract

Administrative burdens are the frictions that people face in their encounters with public services, leading to meaningful costs that include learning, compliance, and psychological costs. We offer evidence that burdens are a key source and consequence of inequality, resulting in disparate outcomes in people’s access to basic rights. We also detail how these outcomes are patterned by targeting, federalism, bureaucratic pathologies, and the growing use of the private sector and tax system to deliver social welfare benefits. Throughout, we highlight recent and novel contributions, including empirical research in this double issue, that have helped clarify how and why administrative burdens shape inequality. Burdens have not received the political, policy, or research priority that is commensurate with their magnitude or impact on individuals. We conclude by arguing that we need a coherent language and framework to recognize and, where appropriate, reduce burdens across a wide array of policy domains.

  • social safety net
  • administrative burdens
  • welfare state
  • © 2023 Russell Sage Foundation. Herd, Pamela, Hilary Hoynes, Jamila Michener, and Donald Moynihan. 2023. “Introduction: Administrative Burden as a Mechanism of Inequality in Policy Implementation.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 9(5): 1–30. DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2023.9.5.01. Direct correspondence to: Pamela Herd, at ph627{at}georgetown.edu, Georgetown University, McCourt School of Public Policy, 37th Street NW O Street NW, Old North #100, Washington, D.C. 20057, United States.

Open Access Policy: RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences is an open access journal. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences: 9 (5)
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
Vol. 9, Issue 5
1 Sep 2023
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Introduction: Administrative Burden as a Mechanism of Inequality in Policy Implementation
Pamela Herd, Hilary Hoynes, Jamila Michener, Donald Moynihan
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Sep 2023, 9 (5) 1-30; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2023.9.5.01

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Introduction: Administrative Burden as a Mechanism of Inequality in Policy Implementation
Pamela Herd, Hilary Hoynes, Jamila Michener, Donald Moynihan
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Sep 2023, 9 (5) 1-30; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2023.9.5.01
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN AS A KEY PART OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
    • LEARNING COSTS
    • COMPLIANCE COSTS
    • PSYCHOLOGICAL COSTS
    • THE EFFECTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE BURDENS
    • BURDENS HAVE LARGE EFFECTS ON ACCESS TO RIGHTS AND PUBLIC SERVICES
    • BURDENS FACILITATE SOCIAL CONTROL
    • BURDENS REINFORCE INEQUALITY
    • PEOPLE WITH FEWER RESOURCES ARE LESS EQUIPPED TO MANAGE BURDENS
    • THE EFFECTS OF BURDENS ACCUMULATE OVER TIME
    • SOURCES OF ADMINISTRATIVE BURDENS
    • BURDENS ARE POLICYMAKING BY OTHER MEANS
    • POLICY DESIGN MATTERS, BUT UNIVERSALISM IS NOT A SUFFICIENT FIX
    • BUREAUCRACIES ARE NOT NATURALLY INCLINED TO DETECT AND MINIMIZE BURDEN
    • THE FEDERATED AND FRAGMENTED NATURE OF U.S. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION ENHANCES BURDENS
    • THIRD PARTIES CAN BUFFER OR AMPLIFY BURDENS
    • TOWARD SIMPLE, ACCESSIBLE, AND RESPECTFUL GOVERNMENT
    • ADMINISTRATIVE DATA AND TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP, WITH CAVEATS
    • NUDGES ARE NOT ENOUGH TO REDUCE BURDENS; SOMETIMES HELP IS NEEDED
    • PRACTICAL BURDEN-REDUCTION POLICY FRAMEWORKS ARE EMERGING
    • CONCLUSION: SOCIAL SCIENCE CAN CONTINUE TO PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN REDUCING BURDENS
    • FOOTNOTES
    • REFERENCES
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Keywords

  • social safety net
  • administrative burdens
  • welfare state

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