Symposium

Exploring nonprofit dilemmas through a new lens: Introduction to the symposium on experimental and behavioral approaches in nonprofit and voluntary sector research 

The topic of administrative burden is relatively novel, but reflects people’s most common experiences of government: confusion about what is expected of them (learning costs), onerous processes (compliance costs), and associated emotions such as frustration (psychological cost). This symposium applies a behavioral perspective to the topic. We learn, for example, of the role of race and social constructions in people’s beliefs about burdens and their role in social programs. We are given evidence of how burdens restrict access to important public services. Perhaps most usefully, the authors engage with different interventions to find ways to reduce burdens. This ranges from changes in the physical space, to process redesign, to informational nudges. The resulting work provides a broad range of applied empirical insight that shines a light on a pressing area of study.

 

Symposium guest editors

Pamela Herd
Georgetown University

Donald Moynihan
Georgetown University

 

Behavior and Burdens: Introduction to the Symposium on Behavioral Implications of Administrative Burden
Pamela Herd, Donald Moynihan 
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2022) 5(1).

Testing behavioral interventions designed to improve on-time SNAP recertification
Leonard M. Lopoo, Colleen Heflin, Joseph Boskovski
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 3(2).

Using behavioral outreach to counteract administrative burden and encourage take-up of simplified disability payment rules
Heinrich Hock, John T. Jones, Michael Levere, David Wittenburg
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(1).

Administrative burden, social construction, and public support for government programs
Jill Nicholson-Crotty, Susan M. Miller, Lael R. Keiser
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(1).

Good for you or good for us? A field experiment on motivating citizen behavior change
Syon P. Bhanot
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(1).

Citizen trust, administrative capacity and administrative burden in Pakistan’s immunization program
Sameen A. Mohsin Ali, Samia Altaf
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(1).

What makes us tolerant of administrative burden? Race, representation, and identity
Donavon Johnson , Alexander Kroll
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(1).

Understanding the mechanisms of administrative burden through a within-case study of Medicaid expansion implementation
Cheryl A. Camillo
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(1). 

The role of organized groups in administrative burdens of property taxation
Iuliia Shybalkina
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(1). 

Designing to minimize the administrative burden of trash disposal: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in New York City public housing
Sara V. Flanagan, Nuha Saho, Deepti Nagulapally, Matthew Darling
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(2). 

Leveraging insights from behavioral science and administrative burden in free college program design: A typology
Kelly Rosinger, Katharine Meyer, Jialing Wang
Journal of Behavioral Public Administration (2021) 4(2).