"Do Administrative Burdens Discourage Participation in WIC?" Experiences of Immigrant Mothers in Missouri

Little is known about the administrative burden faced by immigrant mothers when accessing the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and how these vary by WIC participation status. Using focus group data from immigrant current participants (n = 25), prior participants (n = 16), and eligible non-participants (n = 13), we find that learning costs primarily hinder participation for non-participants. In contrast, compliance and redemption costs affect current and prior participants. Redemption costs, stemming from interactions with third-party agents rather than direct interactions with the state, emerged as a distinct component of administrative burden. Theoretically, this study extends and refines the concept of administrative burden by conceptualizing redemption costs as a distinct fourth component and by showing how learning, compliance, redemption, and psychological costs are interconnected during program participation. In addition to analyzing administrative burdens across participation statuses, we made another novel empirical contribution by interviewing not only Latin American immigrants but also immigrants from North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.