Breaking down administrative burdens: a user-centered approach to increase interest in active labor market programs by women

This study investigates whether reducing administrative burdens can increase interest in active labor market programs among job-seeking women. Employing a user-centered approach, the research is divided into two phases. In Phase 1, we conduct interviews with women and a focus group with service providers to identify relevant barriers for take-up. The qualitative data shows that learning costs were the most prominent barrier. Learning costs could be further differentiated into three specific types: learning about program existence, the specific services offered, and eligibility criteria. In Phase 2, we test whether reducing these three components of learning costs increases program interest. We conduct an online quasi-experimental platform study (N = 75,451), in collaboration with a service provider, in which we adapt advertisements to inform citizens about (a) the specific services offered and (b) the eligibility criteria. A logistic regression shows that the interventions (a and b) attract more people to active labor market programs. Although women are overall more likely to click on the ads, we do not find a differential treatment effect by gender. The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the importance of distinguishing among different types of learning costs in administrative burden interventions. Moreover, the article shows how a user-centered design can be utilized to design meaningful interventions.