CHALLENGES IN CITIZENS' DIGITAL INTERACTION WITH THE STATE: A SCALE TO MEASURE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN

In their interaction with the state, citizens often face challenges like eligibility forms, requirements, and senseless rules. These burdens can prevent access to public benefits, particularly for the poor, who are seen as undeserving and have little social or human capital. Some advocate for mobile apps and websites to ease access, but technology can also bring new challenges like high costs, privacy threats, and time/ emotional tolls. This paper seeks to develop a new scale to measure administrative burdens for citizens applying for welfare benefits via digital interaction with the state. A sample of 413 respondents was used through Facebook groups dedicated to discussing the Brazilian Emergency Aid. Results showed evidence of reliability and validity for the burdens' scale, but limitations call for future research.