What does bureaucratic justice mean to Universal Credit claimants? New quantitative survey evidence

Written By Joe Tomlinson

Title: Bureaucratic Justice in Universal Credit

Abstract: Universal Credit (UC) claimants must continually engage with processes managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Assessing whether these processes are just requires understanding the specific process qualities that shape claimants' perceptions of bureaucratic justice within the UC system. Our research, based on a quantitative survey of 1,514 UC claimants conducted in collaboration with YouGov, and supplemented by 50 qualitative interviews with claimants, welfare rights advisors, and DWP officials, proposes a new five-part model identifying the key process qualities influencing claimants' perceptions of bureaucratic justice. The five factors in this model are: usability; individualised treatment; dignity; efficiency; and neutrality. The paper discusses some of the possible implications of this model.

Authors: Joe Tomlinson, Jed Meers, Simon Halliday, Aleksandra Cichocka, and Ben Seyd

Publication: Nuffield Foundation Paper

Link to paper: here.

Funder: The Nuffield Foundation

Joe Tomlinson
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