Matthias Döring receives DFF grant
In a new project, Associate Professor Matthias Döring is to explore how citizens experience and navigate encounters with public administration. The project has just received funding from Independent Research Fund Denmark.
The Independent Research Fund Denmark has announced this year’s grants under the DFF-Research Project1 instrument, which supports free and excellent research.
Among the recipients is Associate Professor Matthias Döring from the Department of Political Science and Public Management at the University of Southern Denmark.
He has been awarded DKK 3.1 million to shed light on why some citizens struggle to navigate the public system. The aim of his project is to develop a tool that can map citizens’ ability to interact with public authorities and contribute to ensuring more equal access for all.
Matthias Döring says about the project:
- The project offers a fresh perspective on why individuals vary in their ability to access public services. While traditional research has largely relied on broad socio-demographic indicators – such as education and income – to explain resourcefulness, this project takes a more nuanced approach. It focuses on the specific knowledge and skills people need to effectively engage with the state. By measuring these concrete competencies, the project lays the groundwork for more targeted policies and improved public service delivery, ultimately contributing to greater equity in access to public services.
The grant gives Matthias Döring the opportunity to strengthen his research field while producing knowledge with political and societal impact.
In total, 16 researchers from SDU have each received a grant.
Project description
CALi develops, validates, and tests a survey measure to assess citizens’ administrative literacy (AL) – the knowledge and skills required to successfully interact with public administration. The project builds on previous research that highlights how such competences shape the access to and equity of public service provision, e.g., regarding administrative burden, policy uptake, and treatment by street-level bureaucrats.
While previous studies have been either qualitative or used ad-hoc measures, validated measures are paramount for the development of a systematic, cumulative, and rigorous research program.
CALi develops a long- and short-scale of AL across three countries and languages, validates the measures following best practices in psychometrics, and applies the scales in different Danish service areas. This will provide a useful tool to advance research and develop screening tools and interventions to improve access and equity in public services provision.
Project title: Navigating the System – Citizens’ Administrative Literacy (CALi).
Meet the researcher
Matthias Döring is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Public Management at SDU. His research focuses on interactions between citizens and the state, bureaucracy, and digital transformation.