Complex bureaucratic systems often create unequal access to public support, as citizens differ in their ability to understand and navigate administrative requirements. While administrative burden theory has shown that such burdens contribute to inequality, less attention has been paid to the resources and capabilities that help individuals overcome them. This study develops and tests the concept of administrative capital, defined as the capacity to achieve favourable outcomes in bureaucratic systems by effectively mobilising knowledge of rules, processes, and behaviours. Using new survey data from Australian parents of children with disabilities, we examine how administrative capital is distributed and how it shapes access to disability supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
We introduce and validate a ten-item administrative capital scale measuring parents’ confidence in navigating bureaucratic interactions. Administrative capital was unequally distributed, being higher among families with greater financial resources, and was strongly predictive of key outcomes. Accounting for need, administrative capital was associated with greater likelihood of the child having a NDIS plan, greater parental satisfaction with NDIS supports, and fewer unmet needs. Administrative capital mediated the relationship between financial resources and access to support, indicating that social advantage operates partly through the capacity to navigate administrative systems. Effects were consistent across health, education, and general administrative domains, suggesting that administrative capital is a transferable capability.
Inequality in access to disability support reflects not only differences in eligibility or need but also differences in administrative capability. Policy design should reduce unnecessary complexity and invest in navigational and advocacy supports, such as case managers, peer navigators, or local coordinators to assist families with limited administrative capital. Building these supports into program design can help public systems like the NDIS deliver fairer and more equitable access to support.