Reducing the Psychological Burden of Administrative Processes

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Interactions with the administrative state can often leave citizens feeling stressed, ashamed, uncertain and afraid, which can have serious consequences for citizens’ well-being.This panel brings together four empirical studies that examine the psychological costs of administrative burden—specifically mistrust, stigma, uncertainty, and fear—and how they shape individuals’ experiences with public programs. Using survey, experimental, and mixed-methods approaches, including computational analysis, the panel offers new evidence on how emotional and cognitive barriers affect program take-up, equity, and perceptions of government.

The first two papers explore how trust and bureaucratic representation and destigmatizing language can reduce psychological burden. The first uses a conjoint experiment with U.S. veterans to examine how lived experience, gender, and competence in frontline bureaucrats influence trust and reduce psychological, compliance, and learning costs. The second draws on four large-scale survey experiments to analyze stigma in the social safety net, showing how different dimensions—societal, internalized, and anticipated—shape behavior and policy attitudes, and how targeted message framings can mitigate stigma’s impact.

The latter two papers explore how individuals emotionally experience and respond to administrative processes. The third paper introduces administrative uncertainty as a distinct form of psychological burden, arising from incomplete or opaque information. Using large-scale Reddit data and a survey of SNAP applicants linked to administrative records, it shows how uncertainty about eligibility, timelines, and outcomes shapes perceptions of burden and triggers emotional stress. The fourth paper uses a list experiment to examine how fear of immigration-related consequences affects SNAP participation among immigrant families. Simply mentioning immigration status increased discomfort and exit rates, revealing how identity-linked fears can suppress benefit take-up.

Together, these studies deepen our understanding of how mistrust, stigma, uncertainty, and fear operate across both symbolic and experiential dimensions of administrative burden. The panel offers theoretical insights and actionable guidance for designing more inclusive, psychologically responsive public programs.

Policy Area

• Public and Nonprofit Management and Finance

Secondary Policy Area

• Poverty and Income Policy

Chair

• Elizabeth Bell, The University of Texas at Austin

Discussants

• Carolyn J. Heinrich, Vanderbilt University

• Jeremy Barofsky, Georgetown University

Organizer

• Jae Yeon Kim, Harvard University

Individual Presentations

• Representative Bureaucracy and Administrative Burdens: Exploring the Intersection of Lived Experience, Gender, and Expertise - Presenting Author: Ryan Lofaro, Georgia Southern University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Elizabeth Bell, The University of Texas at Austin; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Colt Jensen, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

• Stigma and the Social Safety Net - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Jessica Lasky-Fink, Harvard University; Presenting Author: Elizabeth Linos, Harvard University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Heidi Wallace, Harvard University

• Administrative Burden and Uncertainty - Presenting Author: Sebastian Jilke, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Zhaowen Guo, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Pamela Herd, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Donald Moynihan, University of Michigan

• Evaluating Sensitive Question Impact on SNAP Application Completion: Evidence of Fear Among Immigrant Communities - Presenting Author: Jae Yeon Kim, Harvard University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Pamela Herd, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Donald Moynihan, University of Michigan; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Sebastian Jilke, Georgetown University