‘Paradoxical citizenship’: Informal carers and the politics of administrative burden

Over the last few decades, various countries in the Global North have implemented support measures for informal carers. In this article, we analyse informal carers’ experiences with trying to access the measures and social benefits related to long-term care more generally. In terms of methods and empirical material, we draw on qualitative interviews with 19 informal carers from Austria. Informal carers’ accounts point to various difficulties in trying to access support measures, which we analysed with the concept of ‘administrative burden’, denoting cumbersome experiences with policy implementation. First, we show that informal carers face administrative burden in connection with accessing information on benefits, applying for them, and objecting to negative administrative decisions. Second, we demonstrate that administrative burden constitutes an additional form of care work. Third, we highlight that successfully coping with administrative burden often hinges on informal carers’ individual resources as well as chance. We argue that administrative burden is political because it shapes informal carers’ status as social citizens. In the case of Austria, administrative burden as experienced by informal carers contributes to a ‘paradox citizenship’, as they are largely neglected, partly acknowledged but also further encumbered by the state.