Universal Credit and Automated Decision Making: A Case of the Digital Tail Wagging the Policy Dog?

Rita Griffiths

doi:10.1017/S1474746421000749

Universal Credit and Automated Decision Making: A Case of the Digital Tail Wagging the Policy Dog?

Rita Griffiths

Institute for Policy Research (IPR)

Institute for Policy Research

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Citations (SciVal)

266 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Intended to simplify the benefit system and 'make work pay', Universal Credit (UC) is the UK's first 'digital by design' benefit. Proponents of UC highlight the greater efficiency and effectiveness of digitalisation, while critics point to costly IT write-offs and the 'digital divide' between people with the skills and resources to access digital technologies, and those without. Less attention has been paid to automation in UC and its effects on the people subject to these rapidly developing technologies. Findings from research exploring couples' experiences of claiming UC suggest that automated processes for assessing entitlement and calculating payment may be creating additional administrative burdens for some claimants. Rigid design parameters built into UC's digital architecture may also restrict options for policy reform. The article calls for a broadening of thinking and research about digitalisation in welfare systems to include questions of administrative burden and the wider effects and impacts on claimants.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-18
Journal	Social Policy and Society
Volume	23
Issue number	1
Early online date	2 Dec 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746421000749
Publication status	Published - 31 Jan 2024

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author would like to acknowledge research funding received by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, under grant ESRC ES/R004811/1, and the University of Bath. I am also grateful for the constructive feedback received from Janine Leschke, Jane Millar and Fran Bennett on an early version of the article presented at the ESPAnet Conference 2020, and for the helpful comments of three anonymous reviewers on a revised draft.

Keywords

automated decision making
automation
digitalisation
Universal Credit
welfare reform

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sociology and Political Science
Political Science and International Relations

Access to Document

10.1017/S1474746421000749

Universal Credit - A case of the digital tail wagging the policy dog revised cleaned single spaced MANUSCRIPT 210808 (my copy)
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Cite this

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abstract = "Intended to simplify the benefit system and 'make work pay', Universal Credit (UC) is the UK's first 'digital by design' benefit. Proponents of UC highlight the greater efficiency and effectiveness of digitalisation, while critics point to costly IT write-offs and the 'digital divide' between people with the skills and resources to access digital technologies, and those without. Less attention has been paid to automation in UC and its effects on the people subject to these rapidly developing technologies. Findings from research exploring couples' experiences of claiming UC suggest that automated processes for assessing entitlement and calculating payment may be creating additional administrative burdens for some claimants. Rigid design parameters built into UC's digital architecture may also restrict options for policy reform. The article calls for a broadening of thinking and research about digitalisation in welfare systems to include questions of administrative burden and the wider effects and impacts on claimants.",

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AB - Intended to simplify the benefit system and 'make work pay', Universal Credit (UC) is the UK's first 'digital by design' benefit. Proponents of UC highlight the greater efficiency and effectiveness of digitalisation, while critics point to costly IT write-offs and the 'digital divide' between people with the skills and resources to access digital technologies, and those without. Less attention has been paid to automation in UC and its effects on the people subject to these rapidly developing technologies. Findings from research exploring couples' experiences of claiming UC suggest that automated processes for assessing entitlement and calculating payment may be creating additional administrative burdens for some claimants. Rigid design parameters built into UC's digital architecture may also restrict options for policy reform. The article calls for a broadening of thinking and research about digitalisation in welfare systems to include questions of administrative burden and the wider effects and impacts on claimants.

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Universal Credit and Automated Decision Making: A Case of the Digital Tail Wagging the Policy Dog?

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Couples balancing work, money and care: exploring the shifting landscape under Universal Credit (with Fran Bennett Univ of Oxford)

Cite this

Universal Credit and Automated Decision Making: A Case of the Digital Tail Wagging the Policy Dog?

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Couples balancing work, money and care: exploring the shifting landscape under Universal Credit (with Fran Bennett Univ of Oxford)

Cite this