Administrative Justice in Public Welfare Bureaucracies

该项目考察了一种重要的、未被充分研究的民事司法形式--行政“公平”听证，每个主要的公益项目都利用这种听证来解决有关提供援助的纠纷。当政府官僚机构犯错、行动太慢或以其他方式未能履行其使命时，听证会往往是愤愤不平的公民的唯一选择。它们有助于确保政府官员始终如一、公平公正地实施法律，并符合政策制定者的意图。该项目的重点是位于美国一个大城市的一个公平听证单位的日常活动，该单位听取关于拒绝向贫困家庭提供临时援助(TANF)、医疗补助和其他医疗保险和公共援助计划的上诉。本项目利用实地观察、对行政法法官和接受者的深入访谈以及对官方书面政策和程序的分析，试图了解这些民事司法网站是如何在更大的福利官僚机构的背景下运作的，以及作为旨在解决政府和公民个人之间纠纷的准司法程序。该项目审查了形成诉讼当事人参与的动力，包括行政法法官的关键作用，以及程序正义的概念如何在听证室实施。它还探讨了官僚行为和行政司法之间的联系。听证是政府的固定特征，其对公民的效力和有用性是治理的一个重要方面。一个运行良好、使用良好的听证制度会给政府的所作所为和如何做到这一点灌输信任和信心。听证会还为那些认为自己被冤枉了的公民提供了一个论坛，让他们表达自己的争议，即使在没有犯错的地方也是如此。这项研究的结果将帮助政策制定者和行政人员更好地设计和实施行政听证，特别是那些被边缘化和弱势群体利用的听证。

This project examines a significant and understudied form of civil justice, administrative "fair" hearings, which are used by every major public welfare program to resolve disputes over the provision of aid. When government bureaucracies make mistakes, move too slowly, or otherwise fail to fulfill their mandate, hearings are often the only option for aggrieved citizens. They help insure that government officials are applying the law consistently, fairly and equitably, and as intended by policy makers. This project focuses on the routine activities of a fair hearing unit located in a large city in the United States, and which hears appeals on the denial of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid and other health insurance and public assistance programs. Using field observations, in-depth interviews with administrative law judges and recipients, and an analysis of official written policies and procedures, this project seeks to understand how these sites for civil justice operate both within the context of the larger welfare bureaucracy, and as quasi judicial proceedings designed to resolve disputes between government and individual citizens. The project examines the dynamics that shape the litigants' participation, including the crucial role of the administrative law judge, and how notions of procedural justice are implemented in the hearing room. It also explores the link between bureaucratic behavior and administrative justice. Hearings are a fixed feature of government and their efficacy and usefulness to citizens is an important aspect of governance. A well-run and well-used hearing system instills trust and confidence in both what government does and how it does it. Hearings also provide a forum for citizens who think they were wronged to air their dispute, even where no mistake was made. The study's findings will help policymakers and administrators better design and implement administrative hearings, especially those utilized by marginalized and vulnerable populations.