Stuck in the waiting room: citizen experiences of administrative limbo in three European crises

Abstract

In recent years, there have been numerous cases where citizens have found themselves stuck in highly protracted administrative processes affecting outcomes vital to their lives and livelihoods. However, systematic inquiries into the experience of being trapped by bureaucratic procedures or state inaction for sometimes multiple years are still lacking. To study the interactions between citizens and the state when long waiting times and significant outcomes are involved, we introduce the concept of administrative limbo. We examine administrative limbo using primary and secondary interview data from the Irish defective concrete block crisis, the Dutch childcare benefits affair, and the Dutch Groningen gas crisis. Findings suggest that experiences of administrative limbo are marked by prolonged and extensive uncertainty, accumulating strain, and negatively impacted life perspectives. We find that the effects of being stuck in administrative limbo are profound, indicating that temporal experiences of inaction and action should be further explored in public administration.