Administrative Errors and the Burden of Correction and Consequence: How Information Technology Exacerbates the Consequences of Bureaucratic Mistakes for Citizens

Widlak, Arjan; Peeters, Rik

doi:10.1504/ijeg.2020.10025727

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…There is no incentive for a 'human eye' in their data control and screen-level decision-making. This is confirmed in another study on the way administrative errors spread across multiple organisations through automated data-sharing: data users take the data they receive at face value without verifying the data or looking at a citizen's factual situation (Widlak & Peeters, 2020).…”

Section: Satisficing Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 69%

The agency of algorithms: Understanding human-algorithm interaction in administrative decision-making

Peeters¹

2020

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With the rise of computer algorithms in administrative decision-making, concerns are voiced about their lack of transparency and discretionary space for human decision-makers. However, calls to ‘keep humans in the loop’ may be moot points if we fail to understand how algorithms impact human decision-making and how algorithmic design impacts the practical possibilities for transparency and human discretion. Through a review of recent academic literature, three algorithmic design variables that determine the preconditions for human transparency and discretion and four main sources of variation in ‘human-algorithm interaction’ are identified. The article makes two contributions. First, the existing evidence is analysed and organized to demonstrate that, by working upon behavioural mechanisms of decision-making, the agency of algorithms extends beyond their computer code and can profoundly impact human behaviour and decision-making. Second, a research agenda for studying how computer algorithms affect administrative decision-making is proposed.

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Section: Satisficing Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 69%

The agency of algorithms: Understanding human-algorithm interaction in administrative decision-making

Peeters¹

2020

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“…While administrative errors have been addressed in social policy and administrative burden literatures, they too have usually been treated as a by-product of other organisational mechanisms, and not as one with its own logic. Widlak and Peeters' (2020) recent study is a good starting point for understanding this trigger. Three of their insights are of particular interest.…”

Section: Roni Holler and Noam Tarshishmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Poor citizen-state communication is not limited to the state's failure to inform citizens, but also includes citizens struggling to convey (personalised) information to state. This occurs, for example, when benefit claimants find it difficult to make an inquiry, reach frontline personnel or report administrative errors (Widlak and Peeters, 2020). This kind of communication breakdown can trigger not only learning and compliance costs, but also psychological ones, causing claimants to feel frustrated and disempowered.…”

Section: Communication Breakdownsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Administrative Burden in Citizen-State Encounters: The Role of Waiting, Communication Breakdowns and Administrative Errors

Holler

Tarshish²

2022

Social Policy and Society

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Drawing on interviews with disability and income support beneficiaries, the article examines the encounters of Israeli citizens with the National Insurance Institute. Using the administrative burden conceptualisation, our analysis highlights three known types of costs: compliance, learning and psychological. The current study provides further conceptualisation of these burdens by unfolding the role of three concrete elements involved in generating these burdens: waiting, communication breakdowns, and administrative errors. These elements are discussed in terms of their contribution to a better understanding of bureaucratic procedures that constitute administrative burdens in the context of the benefit claiming process.

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“…It has, as any conceptualization, some obvious limitations. First, as Widlak and Peeters (in press) argue in their study of administrative errors, the causes of administrative burdens can be multiple and intertwined. For instance, unintended administrative errors at street level cause initial burdens for citizens, but their impact is also determined by the formal correction mechanisms in place.…”

Section: Understanding Administrative Burdensmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A negative consequence of an administrative error causes administrative burdens. These burdens are twofold (Widlak & Peeters, in press). First, there is the burden of correcting the error itself.…”

Section: The Organizational Origins Of Administrative Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Political Economy of Administrative Burdens: A Theoretical Framework for Analyzing the Organizational Origins of Administrative Burdens

Peeters

2019

Administration & Society

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Most research on administrative burdens focuses on measuring their impact on citizens’ access to services and benefits. This article fills a theoretical gap and provides a framework for understanding the organizational origins of administrative burden. Based on an extensive literature review, the explanations are organized according to their level of intentionality (deliberate hidden politics or unintended consequences) and their level of formality (designed into formal procedures or caused by informal organizational practices). The analysis suggests that administrative burdens are often firmly rooted in a political economy of deeply engrained structures and behavioral patterns in public administration.

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Administrative Errors and the Burden of Correction and Consequence: How Information Technology Exacerbates the Consequences of Bureaucratic Mistakes for Citizens

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

The agency of algorithms: Understanding human-algorithm interaction in administrative decision-making

The agency of algorithms: Understanding human-algorithm interaction in administrative decision-making

Administrative Burden in Citizen-State Encounters: The Role of Waiting, Communication Breakdowns and Administrative Errors

The Political Economy of Administrative Burdens: A Theoretical Framework for Analyzing the Organizational Origins of Administrative Burdens

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