Politica

Digitalization and administrative burdens

2024-11-29T09:38:24+01:00

Denmark is often highlighted as a pioneer in public digitalization. Since 2015, digital self-service has been mandatory for Danish citizens for most public services and benefits. This represents a significant shift in citizens’ interaction with public authorities and places numerous demands on both citizens and authorities. We ask: How does public digitalization, including mandatory digital self-service and automation, affect citizens’ administrative burdens when they apply for public services in Denmark? We present a qualitative empirical study based on interviews, surveys, and observations with citizens and practitioners from the authorities Labour Market Supplementary Pension (ATP) and Udbetaling Danmark (Disbursement Denmark) (UDK). We investigate how the policy design and implementation of digital services affect citizens’ administrative burdens when they apply for pension and parental leave. The decision to introduce mandatory digital self-service initially resulted in increased administrative burdens for many citizens. However, ATP and UDK have subsequently reduced citizens’ administrative burdens through automation and by using data-driven analytics and qualitative research to improve their self-service solutions and communication. In line with previous studies, we see that the effects of digitalization are distributed both within and across service areas. There is a particular difference in the extent and type of administrative burdens that citizens in Denmark and abroad experience when they apply for public benefits. Finally, we see that both benefit and state characteristics influence public authorities’ possibility to reduce administrative burdens.

Administrative burdens in medical appointments: Experiences of compliance costs among citizens with poor health

2024-11-29T09:40:45+01:00

Several studies have shown that socioeconomically disadvantaged citizens experience more administrative burdens in their interactions with the public sector. However, there is still limited knowledge – both in Denmark and internationally – about citizens’ experiences of burdens in their encounters with the healthcare system. This article explores whether citizens with poor health or poor mental well-being experience higher compliance costs when visiting their doctor. The analysis is based on the Danish segment of the European Quality of Life Survey, which includes a representative sample of 1,020 Danes. The results indicate that both poor health and poor psychological well-being are associated with higher perceived compliance costs. However, there is no support for the expectation that individuals with both poor health and poor mental well-being experience particularly many administrative burdens.

The higher the administrative burden, the more it will be as the authorities say .... We just don’t bother. Or?

2024-11-29T09:42:09+01:00

The article examines the correlation between citizens’ perception of administrative burdens and their behavior interacting with public authorities. Traditionally, large burden perception is expected to lead to passive behavior (flight). However, the article argues that burdens can also evoke emotion-based reactions such as fight or befriend. The empirical part shows that larger perception of burden leads to more fight reaction and less passivity. It is only for resourceful citizens that a large burden perception leads to passivity. However, it is worth noting that resourcefulness is negatively correlated with burden perception. So, in addition to fight being a more likely reaction to large perceived administrative burdens than flight, the results point to a social bias in burden perception and behavior.

“I was afraid of what I would face”: An analysis of citizens’ experiences of uncertainty in encounters with the social welfare system

2024-11-29T09:44:11+01:00

Citizens’ encounters with street-level bureaucracy often involve a certain degree of uncertainty, as citizens cannot know or predict precisely what will happen in the encounter. Research indicates that the experience of uncertainty can be uncomfortable and stressful for individuals, thus causing or constituting a psychological cost in the citizen’s interaction with the public sector. However, the literature on administrative burdens has only to a limited extent addressed citizens’ experience of uncertainty. The purpose of this article is to present a conceptual framework for exploring citizens’ experience of uncertainty and to examine its applicability in understanding citizens’ interactions with the social welfare system. The article is based on a qualitative study of welfare recipients’ encounters with the job center, utilizing a combination of narrative interviews, analysis of case records, and observation of meetings at the job center.

Administrative burdens on companies in public procurement

2024-11-29T09:45:42+01:00

In recent years, public administration research has focused heavily on administrative burdens in interactions between citizens and the state. This article contributes to the literature on administrative burdens by focusing on companies’ costs in public procurement. The article presents a framework for analyzing companies’ learning and compliance costs in public procurement processes and illustrates the framework’s applicability in two empirical studies of Danish companies’ costs of participating in public procurement. The analyses show that companies’ costs of preparing and submitting bids for public tenders make up a significant portion of the contracts’ value. The analyses further indicate that the burdens vary significantly, primarily depending on the public procurers’ design of the tender processes and to a lesser extent on the companies’ administrative resources. Finally, the article discusses how public procurers can use these insights to reduce companies’ administrative burdens in public procurement processes.

Introduktion: temanummer om administrative byrder

2024-11-29T10:06:59+01:00

Digitalisering og administrative byrder

2024-11-29T08:57:28+01:00

Danmark bliver ofte fremhævet som et foregangsland indenfor offentlig digitalisering. Siden 2015 har digital selvbetjening været obligatorisk for danske borgere til ansøgning om de fleste offentlige tjenester og ydelser. Dette repræsenterer et markant skifte i borgernes interaktion med offentlige myndigheder og stiller en række krav til både borgere og myndigheder. Vi spørger: Hvordan påvirker offentlig digitalisering, herunder obligatorisk digital selvbetjening og automatisering, borgernes administrative byrder ved ansøgning om offentlige ydelser i Danmark? Vi præsenterer en kvalitativ empirisk undersøgelse baseret på interviews, surveys og observationer med borgere og praktikere fra myndighederne Arbejdernes Tillægspension (ATP) og Udbetaling Danmark (UDK). Vi undersøger, hvordan myndigheders policydesign og implementering forbundet med digitale tjenester påvirker borgernes administrative byrder ved ansøgning om pension og barsel. Beslutningen om at indføre obligatorisk digital selvbetjening resulterede først i øgede administrative byrder for mange borgere. Men ATP og UDK har efterfølgende reduceret borgernes administrative byrder gennem automatisering og ved at anvende datadrevne analyser og kvalitative undersøgelser til at forbedre deres selvbetjeningsløsninger og kommunikation. I tråd med tidligere undersøgelser ser vi, at effekterne af digitaliseringen er distribuerede både indenfor og på tværs af ydelsesområderne. Der er særlig forskel på omfanget og typen af administrative byrder, som borgere i Danmark og udlandet oplever ved ansøgning om offentlige ydelser. Endelig viser vi, at både ydelsernes og statslige karakteristika påvirker myndigheders muligheder for at reducere administrative byrder.

Administrative byrder i mødet med lægen: oplevelser af efterlevelses-omkostninger blandt borgere med dårligt helbred

2024-11-28T10:39:11+01:00

Adskillige studier har vist, at ressourcesvage borgere oftere oplever administrative byrder i deres møder med det offentlige. Der er imidlertid stadig begrænset viden – både i Danmark og internationalt – om borgernes oplevelser af byrder i mødet med sundhedssystemet. I denne artikel spørger jeg derfor: Oplever borgere med dårligt helbred eller dårligt psykisk velbefindende øgede efterlevelsesomkostninger, når de besøger deres læge? Spørgsmålet undersøges med udgangspunkt i den danske del af The European Quality of Life Survey, der er en spørgeskemaundersøgelse blandt et repræsentativt udsnit af 1.020 danskere. Resultaterne viser, at både dårligt helbred og dårligt psykisk velbefindende er forbundet med øgede oplevelser af efterlevelsesomkostninger. Der findes derimod ikke støtte til forventningen om, at personer, der både har dårligt helbred og dårligt psykisk velbefindende, oplever ekstra mange administrative byrder.

Jo større administrative byrder, desto mere bliver det, som myndighederne siger … Vi orker ikke andet. Eller?

2024-11-29T09:05:13+01:00

Artiklen undersøger sammenhængen mellem borgernes opfattelse af administrative byrder og deres adfærd i interaktioner med offentlige myndigheder. Traditionelt forventes stor byrdeopfattelse at føre til passiv adfærd (flight). Artiklen argumenterer dog for, at byrder også kan fremkalde følelsesbaserede reaktioner som fight eller befriend. Undersøgelsen viser, at større byrdeopfattelse fører til mere fight-reaktion og mindre passivitet. Det er kun for ressourcestærke borgere, at stor byrdeopfattelse fører til passivitet. Det er dog værd at bemærke, at flere ressourcer generelt medfører mindre byrdeopfattelse. Så udover at fight er en mere sandsynlig reaktion på store opfattede administrative byrder end flight, så peger resultaterne på en social skævhed i byrdeopfattelse og adfærd.

”Jeg var bange for, hvad jeg gik i møde” – en analyse af borgeres oplevelse af uvished i mødet med kontanthjælpssystemet

2024-11-29T09:10:52+01:00

Borgernes møde med frontbureaukratiet vil ofte involvere en vis grad af uvished, da borgeren ikke kan vide eller forudse præcist, hvad der vil ske i mødet. Forskning peger på, at oplevelsen af uvished kan være ubehagelig og stressende for individer og medføre eller udgøre en psykologisk omkostning ved borgerens møde med det offentlige. Litteraturen om administrative byrder har dog kun i meget begrænset omfang beskæftiget sig med borgernes oplevelse af uvished. Formålet med denne artikel er at præsentere et begrebsapparat til at udforske borgeres oplevelse af uvished og undersøge dets anvendelighed til at forstå borgeres møde med kontanthjælpssystemet. Artiklen bygger på et kvalitativt studie af kontanthjælpsmodtageres møde med jobcentret baseret på en kombination af narrative interviews, analyse af sagsakter samt observation af møder i jobcentret.

Virksomheders administrative byrder i offentlige udbud

2024-11-29T09:16:29+01:00

Forvaltningsforskningen har i de senere år sat stor fokus på administrative byrder i mødet mellem borgere og staten. Denne artikel bidrager til litteraturen om administrative byrder ved at sætte fokus på virksomheders omkostninger i offentlige udbud. Artiklen præsenterer en konceptuel ramme til at analysere virksomheders lærings- og efterlevelsesomkostninger i offentlige udbudsprocesser. Rammens anvendelighed illustreres gennem to empiriske studier af danske virksomheders omkostninger ved at deltage i offentlige udbud. Analyserne viser, at virksomhedernes omkostninger til at forberede og afgive tilbud på offentlige udbud udgør en betydelig del af kontrakternes værdi. Analyserne indikerer desuden, at byrderne især varierer betydeligt med offentlige ordregiveres design af udbudsprocesserne og i mindre grad med virksomhedernes administrative ressourcer. Jeg diskuterer afslutningsvis, hvordan offentlige ordregivere kan bruge indsigterne til at reducere virksomhedernes administrative byrder i udbud.