From Slate Magazine · David Plotz · · 1m 10s
The Time Tax: Why Government Makes Help Hard
Bureaucratic red tape isn't accidental, it's built on a theory that's backfiring on the poorest Americans.
In brief
Bureaucratic red tape isn't accidental, it's built on a theory that's backfiring on the poorest Americans. Government benefits are deliberately made difficult to access based on flawed theory, but this strategy fails the people who need help most. Originally reported by Slate Magazine.
Meet the ordeal mechanism
Government deliberately makes benefits hard to access, based on decades-old theory that difficult processes filter out undeserving applicants and protect program integrity.
The theory sounds logical
If getting benefits requires jumping through hoops, only truly needy people will bother. It seems like a smart way to prevent fraud and waste.
But it fails the poorest
People living in poverty often lack phones, computers, Wi-Fi, or stable addresses. Their stressful lives make navigating complex paperwork nearly impossible.
“very often people who are very vulnerable, very low income just can't make it through the ordeal”
The cruelest outcome
The ordeal mechanism doesn't stop fraud. Instead, it blocks the most vulnerable from accessing help they desperately need and qualify for.
Time is a hidden tax
Journalist Annie Lowrey's new book explores how government paperwork wastes time and money, and proposes fixes to make benefits actually reach those who need them.
The one thing
Government benefits are deliberately made difficult to access based on flawed theory, but this strategy fails the people who need help most.
