Do complexity and ambiguity affect people's intent to apply for public assistance?

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article aims to raise and empirically test whether complexity and ambiguity would affect the intent to apply for public assistance in the case of South Korea. Results of regression analysis reveal that the complexity of the application process has led to a greater decline in the intent of the poor to apply, possibly because the present bias is relatively greater. These outcomes indicate that the ambiguity aversion attitude of the poor was not different from that of the non-poor.
However, when ambiguity is combined with complexity, it has an additive effect, lowering the intention to apply.
From these findings, understandable policy manuals should be provided to potential applicants of assistance services and multiple forms, and evidence materials should be simplified in public assistance. Finally, in terms of behavioral economics and social policy, decreasing the complexity and ambiguity could “nudge” the Non-take- up and encourage them to apply for selective welfare programs.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 구인회 ; 백학영, "사회보장의 사각지대: 실태와 영향요인" 한국사회보장학회 24 (24): 175-204, 2008

2 이정기 ; 김윤영, "비수급 빈곤층의 생존 과정에 관한 근거이론" 한국보건사회연구원 36 (36): 280-310, 2016

3 허용창 ; 한경훈 ; 김동진 ; 문혜진, "국민기초생활보장제도의 비수급 원인에 관한 질적 연구 -동태적 모델에 기반을 둔 틀분석-" 한국사회복지정책학회 47 (47): 143-167, 2020

4 허용창 ; 김동진 ; 한경훈 ; 문혜진, "국민기초생활보장제도 신청 경험에 관한 탐색적 연구: 청⋅장년층과 노년층의 차이를 중심으로" 사회복지연구소 65 : 217-246, 2020

5 박능후, "국민기초생활보장제도 수급권 배제 원인 분석" 한국사회복지정책학회 (35) : 271-295, 2008

6 Kayser, H., "take-up behavior of social assistance in Germany" German Institute for Economic Research 2000

7 Daponte, B. O., "Why do low-income households not use food stamps? Evidence from and experiment" 36 (36): 612-628, 1999

8 Anderson, P. M., "Unemployment insurance takeup rates and the after-tax value of benefits" 112 (112): 913-937, 1997

9 Kleven, H. J., "Transfer program complexity and the take-up of social benefits" 3 (3): 54-90, 2011

10 Luttmer, E. F., "The welfare cost of perceived policy uncertainty : evidence from social security" 108 (108): 275-307, 2018

11 Currie, J., "The take-up of social benefits" IZA 2004

12 Gillian V. Pepper, "The behavioural constellation of deprivation: Causes and consequences" Cambridge University Press (CUP) 40 : E314-, 2017

13 Finn, D., "Take-up of benefits and poverty: an evidence and policy review" Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion 2014

14 Hernanz, V., "Take-up of Welfare Benefits in OECD Countries: a Review of the Evidence" OECD 2004

15 Moon, H., "Survey on the reality of non-take-up in Seoul" Seoul Welfare Foundation 2019

16 Riphahn, R. T., "Rational poverty or poor rationality? The take-up of social assistance benefits" 47 (47): 379-398, 2001

17 Chareyron, S., "Raising take-up of social assistance benefits through a simple mailing : evidence from a French field experiment" 128 (128): 777-805, 2018

18 Spears, D., "Poverty and probability : aspiration and aversion to compound lotteries in El Salvador and India" 16 (16): 263-284, 2013

19 Haushofer, J., "On the psychology of poverty" 344 (344): 862-867, 2014

20 Van Oorschot, W. J. H., "New perspectives on the non-take-up of social security benefits" Tilburg University Press 1996

21 Dalley, J. W., "Impulsivity, compulsivity, and top-down cognitive control" 69 (69): 680-694, 2011

22 Akay, A., "Attitudes toward uncertainty among the poor : an experimental in rural Ethiopia" 73 (73): 453-464, 2012

23 Li, C., "Are the poor worse at dealing with ambiguity?" 54 (54): 239-268, 2017

24 Europound, "Access to social benefits: Reducing non-take-up"