This Is Why People Hate the Government

Ezra Klein talks to Annie Lowrey about her new book, "Give People Money," and why the government's administrative burdens make people hate it.

The Time Tax

Annie Lowrey defines the "time tax" as the burden of work, whether emotional, logistical, or knowledge-based, that goes into any bureaucratic process where you are the end-user. It's basically thinking about bureaucracy's effect on the people who are being bureaucratized. Lowrey also describes administrative burdens as a tool of social control. These things seem neutral, but they are often purposefully designed to make people feel good or bad about themselves and their relationship with the government. They are a way to construct class and ensure that some people can get something while others can't. Lowrey sees them as a regressive filter on progressive policies. The policy might be out there, but it's so hard to get that many people won't receive it. These burdens are also used to shape economic decisions, like the SNAP program's rule that you can't buy hot food, forcing recipients to cook their own groceries. This is a method of control, not just about nutrition. Lowrey notes that there are exemptions for people who are unstably housed or homeless because it's hard to cook for yourself if you're not living anywhere. She also points out that EBT cards, which work like a Visa, used to require separating grocery orders, making recipients visible to others in the grocery store. This is a tool of humiliation, as the government is willing to humiliate people to feed their children. These programs come with a time valence, a financial valence, and an emotional valence.