This study examines the adoption and implementation of AI chatbots in U.S. state governments, identifying key drivers, challenges, and best practices for public sector chatbot deployment.
This foundational article develops the concept of administrative burden, defining it as the learning, psychological, and compliance costs individuals face when interacting with government, and argues that these burdens are often shaped by political choices.
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
Building on our February 2022 report Benefit Eligibility Rules as Code: Reducing the Gap Between Policy and Service Delivery for the Safety Net, the Beeck Center’s Digital Benefits Network (DBN) hosted Rules as Code Demo Day on June 28, 2022 where there were eight demonstrations of projects and code followed by a collaborative problem solving session on how to continue advancing rules as code for the U.S. social safety net.
This report explores key questions that a focus on disability raises for the project of understanding the social implications of AI, and for ensuring that AI technologies don’t reproduce and extend histories of marginalization.
SNAP Waivers and Adaptations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of State Agency Perspectives in 2020 is a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Health and Social Policy (IHSP) based at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). This research seeks to understand perspectives from state SNAP administrators on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from waivers and flexibilities used to preserve equitable access to SNAP during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on state agency survey responses, this report summarizes key findings from the first calendar year of pandemic response and provides policy considerations for the future of SNAP. This research was supported by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Johns Hopkins Institute for Health and Social Policy
In this piece, the Digital Benefits Network shares several sources—from journalistic pieces, to reports and academic articles—we’ve found useful and interesting in our reading on automation and artificial intelligence.
In this webinar, a panel of experts discuss what states can do right now to improve EBT security, how to use data to analyze theft patterns, and how EBT payment technology needs to evolve to ensure efficiency, security, and dignity for beneficiaries.
How can governments use artificial intelligence (AI) to advance digital accessibility? During this roundtable, Andrew Merluzzi, AI Innovation + Incubation Fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, shared some applications of AI in digital accessibility. Attendees discussed which applications are most promising, which seem too difficult or risky, and how their agencies could start experimenting with AI.
A FormFest profile highlighting how New York State’s design and technology teams are reimagining form creation through collaborative, human-centered design methods that simplify processes and expand participation.
Created for use in the Digital Doorways research project, this design stimuli shows the steps of submitting an application, sharing personal information, and verifying identity for Arizona's online application for Unemployment Insurance.
This fact sheet outlines the key principles for designing an effective Child Tax Credit that reduces child poverty, supports working families, promotes racial and economic equity, and delivers long-term benefits for children and the economy.
