Reducing administrative burdens in an energy bill assistance program
研究了一项旨在减轻行政负担的“分类资格”政策对低收入家庭能源援助项目的影响，发现该政策提高了参与率和项目效率，但增加参与依赖于充足资金。
This article investigates the impact of categorical eligibility, a policy aimed at easing administrative burdens, on outcomes of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Through two-way fixed effect analyses, the study extends the focus of administrative burden scholarship beyond program take-up and examines the programmatic costs of reducing burdens in a new empirical context – a budget-constrained program. Findings indicate categorical eligibility is associated with boosted enrolment and improved program efficiency, reducing overhead costs and increasing assistance expenditures. However, increased participation relies on sufficient funding, underscoring the need to consider policy designs’ effects on participation and expenditures in budget-constrained programs.