Concept and three costs
Moynihan, Herd and Harvey (2015) defined administrative burden as the costs citizens experience in policy implementation. Learning costs arise from discovering programmes, eligibility and how to apply. Psychological costs include stigma, humiliation, stress and loss of autonomy. Compliance costs are the time and money spent on documents, visits and waiting. Earlier, Lipsky (1984) described bureaucratic disentitlement through complex procedures.
Policymaking by other means
Herd and Moynihan (2018) argue burdens are often political choices: making applications harder can cut caseloads without changing the law, which is policymaking by other means. Burden et al. (2012) documented this in election administration. Programmes such as workfare and strongly selective schemes tend to carry heavy eligibility checks.
Unequal effects and remedies
Heinrich (2016) found that burdens bite hardest on people short of time, information and health, deepening inequality. The discretion of street-level bureaucrats also shapes burden. Bhargava and Manoli (2015) showed that simplified notices raised tax-credit take-up, suggesting that behavioural design like nudges can help. Automatic enrolment, simpler forms and data sharing are common remedies.
FAQ
- What is administrative burden in simple terms?
- All the effort of finding out about, applying for and proving eligibility for government help.
- What are the three costs?
- Learning costs, psychological costs such as stigma, and compliance costs such as paperwork and waiting.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Lipsky, M. (1984). Bureaucratic disentitlement in social welfare programs. Social Service Review, 58(1), 3–27. How administrative procedures quietly disentitle welfare claimants.
- Moynihan, D. P., & Herd, P. (2010). Red tape and democracy: How rules affect citizenship rights. The American Review of Public Administration, 40(6), 654–670. Rules as barriers to citizenship rights, a precursor to the burden framework.
- Burden, B. C., Canon, D. T., Mayer, K. R., & Moynihan, D. P. (2012). The effect of administrative burden on bureaucratic perception of policies: Evidence from election administration. Public Administration Review, 72(5), 741–751. An early empirical study of administrative burden in election administration.
- Moynihan, D. P., Herd, P., & Harvey, H. (2015). Administrative burden: Learning, psychological, and compliance costs in citizen-state interactions. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25(1), 43–69. The core article setting out learning, psychological and compliance costs.
- Heinrich, C. J. (2016). The bite of administrative burden: A theoretical and empirical investigation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 26(3), 403–420. Shows burdens bite hardest on disadvantaged groups.
- Herd, P., & Moynihan, D. P. (2018). Administrative burden: Policymaking by other means. Russell Sage Foundation. The landmark book framing burden as policymaking by other means.
- Bhargava, S., & Manoli, D. (2015). Psychological frictions and the incomplete take-up of social benefits: Evidence from an IRS field experiment. American Economic Review, 105(11), 3489–3529. A field experiment showing simpler notices raise take-up.