There’s ample evidence that U.S. government programs improve food security, health and economic mobility. Yet confusing, complicated applications and interview processes often stand in the way of eligible people getting the help they need.
The Better Government Lab, a collaborative research center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, will receive $2.3 million over three years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The lab aims to break down administrative walls and boost access to such social safety net programs.
Center leaders say they know how to overcome barriers and connect people with the right programs, and have helped reduce administrative burdens. Specifically, they work with community leaders, policymakers and others to develop user-friendly tools that inform local decision-makers about ways to increase economic mobility and security.
For example, interview requirements are a stumbling block for applicants to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — also known as food stamps. Many people complete forms and are eligible but don’t understand there is a mandatory interview or an assigned time.
“When they miss the interview, they are removed from the application process and must start over,” said Donald Moynihan, U-M faculty co-director of Better Government Lab. “We are working on interventions that help to improve awareness about interviews and give applicants tools to manage the process.”
Moynihan, professor of public policy at the Ford School who came to U-M this year from the McCourt School, sees similar issues with the Medicaid renewal process, in which eligible recipients lose coverage because of the paperwork involved. He and Pamela Herd, Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy and professor of public policy at the Ford School, are leading the U-M aspect of the research project.
“We are especially interested in finding ways to use technology to reduce administrative burdens on clients and caseworkers,” Herd said.
Governments are increasingly attentive to how administrative burdens limit the reach of anti-poverty programs. Some are seeking ways to do better, such as building better digital interfaces, combining and simplifying application processes, reminding applicants about available resources, and, in some cases, automating renewal processes if they have enough administrative data to determine eligibility.
The funding would support multiple studies in different parts of the safety net, the results of which would be presented to governments and civic tech organizations. The findings would be shared for free, and the researchers would offer free consultations with groups using their data.
To bridge the gap between rigorous research and the practical needs of those in the field, the team also plans to create a “civic tech toolbox” that summarizes the evidence testing the impacts on reducing burdens and boosting access to the safety net.
The Better Government Lab began four years ago and expanded this year to establish a second unit at U-M. The lab now employs five permanent research staff members in addition to the faculty leads.
“BGL started as a collaborative of scholars at the McCourt School, who shared an interest in program access and rigorous evaluation methods,” said Sebastian Jilke, the Georgetown faculty co-director of the Better Government Lab and associate professor at the McCourt School.
Moynihan said that “expanding to start a second unit at Michigan represents an exciting new chapter for the lab, as does this incredible support from the Gates Foundation.”
