Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

Breaking Down Administrative Burdens: A User-Centered Approach to Increase Interest in Active Labor Market Programs by Women Abstract. This study investigates whether reducing administrative burdens can increase interest in active labor market programs among job-seeking women. Em

New article in JPART on administrative burdens.

We examine how collaborating with citizens can help break down such burdens.

The paper speaks to debates in public administration on policy design and citizen–state interactions.

@jpart1991.bsky.social

@olehelby.bsky.social
Aaron Deslatte

@pmra-1991.bsky.social
Roskilde University
Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen
Seulki Lee
@elizabethlinos.bsky.social
@michael-siciliano.bsky.social
Thad Calabrese
Rick Vogel
@gabilotta.bsky.social
@nathanfavero.com
@anadimand.bsky.social
Melissa Falkær Olsen
@sassmikkelsen.bsky.social

We also extend our thanks to the Public Management Research Association (PMRA) for its continued support and collaboration, and to our excellent team of Associate Editors and Social Media Editor who make JPART possible.

Ole and Kim will continue in these roles through June 30, 2028.

Please join us in congratulating Kim on his new role.

We are pleased to share some great news from the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.

As of January 1, 2026, Kim Sass Mikkelsen has been promoted to Full Editor and now serves as co Editor in Chief of JPART, on equal footing with Ole.

A recent @jpart1991.bsky.social study by @saaralonbarkat.bsky.social, @mbusuioc.bsky.social, @schwoererskayla.bsky.social & @ksweissmueller.bsky.social investigated this through a survey experiment with Dutch citizens. Some key insights:
2/🧵

@olehelby.bsky.social
Aaron Deslatte

@pmra-1991.bsky.social
Roskilde University
Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen
Seulki Lee
@elizabethlinos.bsky.social
@michael-siciliano.bsky.social
Thad Calabrese
Rick Vogel
@gabilotta.bsky.social
@nathanfavero.com
@anadimand.bsky.social
Melissa Falkær Olsen
@sassmikkelsen.bsky.social

Tax salience and citizen evaluation of government Abstract. This paper examines how tax salience—or how aware individuals are of their property tax payments that finance local public services—correlates wi

they tend to have lower expectations, report greater satisfaction with their local government, and are more willing to support additional taxation.

Read more about it here:
academic.oup.com/jpart/articl...

Have you ever wondered how the visibility of your tax payments shapes how you feel about your local government? 🧵

This study shows that when people are less aware of their property tax payments,

@olehelby.bsky.social
Aaron Deslatte

@pmra-1991.bsky.social
Roskilde University
Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen
Seulki Lee
@elizabethlinos.bsky.social
@michael-siciliano.bsky.social
Thad Calabrese
Rick Vogel
@gabilotta.bsky.social
@nathanfavero.com
@anadimand.bsky.social
Melissa Falkær Olsen
@sassmikkelsen.bsky.social

Agency leaders and organizational adaptation to administrative reform: evidence from IT reforms and the timely disbursement of unemployment insurance benefits in the American states Abstract. The timely disbursement of government program benefits is a core attribute of effective administration. In recent decades, American states charge

Read the study here:
academic.oup.com/jpart/articl...

percent. The biggest gains came from agencies led by administrators with prior appointed leadership experience, showing that matching leaders’ experience to reform goals is critical for success.

Have you ever thought about how the right kind of leadership can make government work better? Between 2002 and 2022, 28 U.S. states upgraded their unemployment insurance IT systems, boosting on-time benefit delivery by 5.26 percent and reducing delays by 2.90 percent, a net improvement of 8.16 🧵

@olehelby.bsky.social
Aaron Deslatte

@pmra-1991.bsky.social
Roskilde University
Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen
Seulki Lee
@elizabethlinos.bsky.social
@michael-siciliano.bsky.social
Thad Calabrese
Rick Vogel
@gabilotta.bsky.social
@nathanfavero.com
@anadimand.bsky.social
Melissa Falkær Olsen
@sassmikkelsen.bsky.social

Algorithmic discrimination in public service provision: Understanding citizens’ attribution of responsibility for human versus algorithmic discriminatory outcomes Abstract. As public bodies increasingly adopt AI technologies in their work, there is simultaneously growing attention to the risk that the reliance on the

Interested to read more? Read the full paper here:
academic.oup.com/jpart/articl...

Have you ever wondered whether citizens hold public organizations less responsible for discrimination caused by AI than by humans? The study finds they do not. However, citizens assign more responsibility when the algorithm is developed in-house rather than outsourced.

@olehelby.bsky.social
Aaron Deslatte

@pmra-1991.bsky.social
Roskilde University
Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen
Seulki Lee
@elizabethlinos.bsky.social
@michael-siciliano.bsky.social
Thad Calabrese
Rick Vogel
@gabilotta.bsky.social
@nathanfavero.com
@anadimand.bsky.social
Melissa Falkær Olsen
@sassmikkelsen.bsky.social

Ready, willing, and able? Bureaucratic capacity, slack resources, and political control Abstract. Recent research suggests that bureaucratic responsiveness to political preferences may depend as much on organizational capacity as it does on in

Read it here: academic.oup.com/jpart/articl...

Have you ever wondered why some bureaucracies respond more effectively to political demands than others? Research shows that agencies with slack resources, rather than just overall capacity, are significantly more responsive, commit to clearer timelines, and complete legislative requests faster.

@olehelby.bsky.social
Aaron Deslatte

@pmra-1991.bsky.social
Roskilde University
Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen
Seulki Lee
@elizabethlinos.bsky.social
@michael-siciliano.bsky.social
Thad Calabrese
Rick Vogel
@gabilotta.bsky.social
@nathanfavero.com
@anadimand.bsky.social
Melissa Falkær Olsen
@sassmikkelsen.bsky.social

Administrative overload and policy triage: causal evidence from the introduction of the Acid Rain Program in the United States Abstract. Recent research suggests that additional public policies can sometimes decrease overall policy effectiveness rather than improve the problem-solv

Complementary interviews in Germany, Italy, and Portugal suggest this pattern is widespread, revealing an important trade-off: when administrative capacity doesn’t grow alongside policy ambition, overall policy effectiveness can suffer.

Read it here:
academic.oup.com/jpart/articl...

reallocating limited resources among competing priorities. Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Acid Rain Program as a case, the study finds that enforcement efforts for other industrial sites declined as attention shifted to the new program.

Have you ever wondered what happens when governments introduce new policies without adding the administrative capacity to support them? Recent research shows that instead of improving problem-solving, such expansions can overwhelm public agencies, forcing them to engage in “policy triage”,

@olehelby.bsky.social
Aaron Deslatte