Living Life : Assessing Bureaucratic Complexity in Citizen-Government Interactions

Perotti, Valeria ; Kayumova, Marina ; Mazoni Silva Martins, Natalia

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: BUREAUCRACY;    GOVERNMENT;    CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT;    CIVIC PARTICIPATION;    ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-8610
RP-ID  :  WPS8610

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Bureaucratic complexity incitizen-government interactions can be an obstacle toaccessing basic services and exercising civil rights. Thispaper presents a new methodology to collectcontributor-based data on the regulatory framework andcompliance burden of six key citizen-governmentinteractions: (i) civil registration and identification,(ii) voting, (iii) paying taxes, (iv) access to health care,(v) access to education, and (vi) access to utilities. Themethodology was tested in Chile, Ghana, India, and Vietnam,and it provided an overview of the legal and regulatoryframeworks. In addition, the study offers some interestingobservations: (i) two of the four economies moved towardincluding digital components to civil registration andidentification systems, making it easier to registerbirths/deaths and obtain an identification document; (ii)three of the four economies require a specific voter ID tocast a ballot, which can discourage citizens from engagingin elections; (iii) patients accessing certain services atprimary health care facilities may experience longer waitsfor treatment than those seeking access to the same servicesin hospitals; and (iv) a student's ability to accessquality education can be limited by school placement basedon residential address intwo of the four economies. Thelessons learned suggest that future studies should usesurvey data collection to investigate the practicalexperience of citizens beyond procedures and legalrequirements. In addition, focusing on fewer areas andincluding a larger set of countries could generate greatervariability and more robust conclusions.