Publication
Complexity, errors, and administrative burdens
Automation is a widely used method to minimise errors, but there is limited understanding of the factors enhancing its effectiveness. The authors expect automation to improve accuracy in less complex programmes but worsen with increased complexity.
- Author
- Matthew Young, Mallory Compton, Justin Bullock and Robert Greer
- Date
- 21 December 2023
- Links
- Read the full article here
This article lays a foundation for a more robust discussion of administrative errors as a form of administrative burden and complexity within the field of public administration, and to extend the study of administrative burdens to incorporate complexity. Similarly, complexity lacks careful explication in public administration research and social science in general.
In seeking to integrate notions of complexity from previous research, the authors argue that complexity arises when many parts are connected in many ways. This leads to emergent behaviour that is hard to predict, leading to more administrative errors, which are in turn a form of administrative burden when these errors affect service recipients. Administrative errors do appear to be influenced by programme complexity. The various ways in which complexity can create administrative burdens and whether technology can mitigate those effects is a topic deserving further study building on these results.