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Burdens on the gateway to the state: Administrative burdens in the registration of people experiencing homelessness in Belgium and the Netherlands

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  • Laure‐lise Robben
  • Rik Peeters
  • Arjan Widlak

Abstract

Population registries are the gateway to public services, benefits, and rights. However, despite clear formal rules and procedures, people eligible for registration may still face administrative burdens in obtaining access. In this article, we study the case of the municipal registration of people who experience homelessness in Belgium and the Netherlands—a group that typically suffers from administrative vulnerability. Using data from 61 interviews with social workers and civil servants, we find that burdens are constructed at the municipal level to disincentivize homeless people's access to registration. However, using the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework, we also identify mechanisms in the governance of population registrations and the decentralization of social policies that create incentives for strategic behavior by municipal policy makers and street‐level bureaucrats. By analyzing the interaction between multiple institutional levels, we contribute to understanding how structural mechanisms influence policymakers’ agency in the construction of administrative burdens.

Suggested Citation

  • Laure‐lise Robben & Rik Peeters & Arjan Widlak, 2024. "Burdens on the gateway to the state: Administrative burdens in the registration of people experiencing homelessness in Belgium and the Netherlands," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(3), pages 780-803, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:43:y:2024:i:3:p:780-803
    DOI: 10.1002/pam.22598
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Halling, Aske & Herd, Pamela & Moynihan, Donald, 2022. "How Difficult Should It Be? Evidence of Burden Tolerance from a Nationally Representative Sample," OSF Preprints 72nb5_v1, Center for Open Science.
    2. Halling, Aske & Herd, Pamela & Moynihan, Donald, 2022. "How Difficult Should It Be? Evidence of Burden Tolerance from a Nationally Representative Sample," OSF Preprints 72nb5, Center for Open Science.
    3. A. M. Coumans & M. Cruyff & P. G. M. Heijden & J. Wolf & H. Schmeets, 2017. "Estimating Homelessness in the Netherlands Using a Capture-Recapture Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 189-212, January.
    4. Heinrich, Carolyn J. & Brill, Robert, 2015. "Stopped in the Name of the Law: Administrative Burden and its Implications for Cash Transfer Program Effectiveness," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 277-295.
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