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Nudges, Location and Communication: Reducing Administrative Burdens Inside and Outside Government

Thursday, November 13, 8:30 to 10:00am, Property: Hyatt Regency Seattle, Floor: 6th Floor, Room: 608 - Wynochee

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel presents a mixture of evidence related to efforts to reduce administrative burdens using a range of research methods that range from qualitative case studies, field experiments, survey experiments and GIS. 




Administrative burdens are the experience of policy implementation as onerous. In some cases, this reflects individual level barriers. For example, Guo et al. show that location and health matter to consumption of WIC benefits. Using GIS data, they show that distance from a WIC provider reduces use of the benefit. Burdens might be reduced via communication, outreach and nudges: Laskey-Fink and Linos find that light touch interventions increased the take-up of the Child Tax Credit, and performed relatively well compared to more expensive and high-touch outreach efforts. Hetling and Porumbescu test the modes of communication, showing that video communications both reduces cognitive demands and makes it easier for people provided information about SNAP to overcome cognitive biases. Finally, Xu and Moynihan use two state level qualitative case studies to detail how governments can work with “civic tech” third parties that are dedicated to reducing administrative burden. 




The panel offers significant policy implications. On the finding that distance matters, it informs the value of providing online shopping options to reduce burdens in WIC. For communications, relatively low-cost options seem to be better investments than high-cost outreach. Hetling and Proumbescu provides insights about tradeoffs between different modalities for government. Finally




The panel will be chaired by a distinguished administrative burden scholar and former APPAM President Carolyn Heinrich, with two discussants: Jae Yeon Kim who has closely studied civic tech organizations and nudges, and Carolyn Barnes, a qualitative scholar and an expert on SNAP and WIC. There is, therefore, a very tight connection between the purpose of the panel and the group assembled.   

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