Mitigating Administrative Burdens: Understanding the Role of Intermediaries in Co-producing Digital Self-services

Hanne Höglund Rydén, Sara Hofmann, Luiz Henrique Alonso de Andrade, Ida Heggertveit

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionScientificpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Public sector organizations are increasingly adopting digital self-service solutions. With digital self-services, citizens are given a more active role in co-producing their services, as they serve themselves and perform tasks that were previously performed by public professionals. However, many citizens struggle with their expanding role as co-producers and experience burdens in their interaction with digital self-services. To mitigate these burdens, citizens often turn to so-called intermediaries for help. Intermediaries are third parties such as family members, friends as well as professionals that assist citizens during digital self-services or completely take over the responsibility from them. Although they are important co-producers, intermediaries have seldom been the focus of attention as their role during co-production is often invisible from the outside. We present two qualitative empirical studies from Norwegian and Brazilian welfare services. Our findings show the burdens citizens experience with digital self-services and illuminate how important personal intermediaries are to reduce citizens’ experience of burdens, resulting in triangulated or hybrid “co-production”.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationElectronic Participation
Subtitle of host publication16th IFIP WG 8.5 International Conference, ePart 2024, Ghent, Belgium, September 3–5, 2024, Proceedings
EditorsMarius Rohde Johannessen, Csaba Csáki, Lieselot Danneels, Sara Hofmann, Thomas Lampoltshammer, Peter Parycek, Gerhard Schwabe, Efthimios Tambouris, Jolien Ubacht
PublisherSpringer
Pages31-46
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-031-70804-6
ISBN (Print)978-3-031-70803-9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Publication typeA4 Article in conference proceedings
EventInternational Conference on Electronic Participation - Ghent, Belgium
Duration: 3 Sept 20245 Sept 2024

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume14891 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Electronic Participation
Country/TerritoryBelgium
CityGhent
Period3/09/245/09/24

Publication forum classification

  • Publication forum level 1

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