Using Technology and Iterative Research to Strengthen the Social Safety Net

Abstract

People who seek public benefits for their families often struggle to navigate the complicated labyrinth of U.S. safety net programs. We show that states can meaningfully improve access for families in need—even in the absence of significant policy change—by adopting widely used technology and common research practices. Technology and research can be applied to each stage of benefits delivery: outreach, application, and renewal. The suggestions we offer vary in their ease of implementation: some are simple, like sending repeated renewal reminders through as many channels of communication as possible; others are more involved, like bundling together separate program applications. We argue that if states are to succeed at simplifying the enrollment process—and thereby increase the share of eligible people receiving benefits—they can help their own cause by building and maintaining a modern technological infrastructure for data collection and analysis, and then act on what those data reveal.