Living Life : Assessing Bureaucratic Complexity in Citizen-Government Interactions
Bureaucratic complexity in citizen-government interactions can be an obstacle to accessing basic services and exercising civil rights. This paper presents a new methodology to collect contributor-based data on the regulatory framework and...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/470591539194008898/Living-Life-Assessing-Bureaucratic-Complexity-in-Citizen-Government-Interactions http://hdl.handle.net/10986/30578 |
| Summary: | Bureaucratic complexity in
citizen-government interactions can be an obstacle to
accessing basic services and exercising civil rights. This
paper presents a new methodology to collect
contributor-based data on the regulatory framework and
compliance burden of six key citizen-government
interactions: (i) civil registration and identification,
(ii) voting, (iii) paying taxes, (iv) access to health care,
(v) access to education, and (vi) access to utilities. The
methodology was tested in Chile, Ghana, India, and Vietnam,
and it provided an overview of the legal and regulatory
frameworks. In addition, the study offers some interesting
observations: (i) two of the four economies moved toward
including digital components to civil registration and
identification systems, making it easier to register
births/deaths and obtain an identification document; (ii)
three of the four economies require a specific voter ID to
cast a ballot, which can discourage citizens from engaging
in elections; (iii) patients accessing certain services at
primary health care facilities may experience longer waits
for treatment than those seeking access to the same services
in hospitals; and (iv) a student's ability to access
quality education can be limited by school placement based
on residential address in two of the four economies. The
lessons learned suggest that future studies should use
survey data collection to investigate the practical
experience of citizens beyond procedures and legal
requirements. In addition, focusing on fewer areas and
including a larger set of countries could generate greater
variability and more robust conclusions. |
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