Transparency and accountability in government payment systems: Financial transfers in the social security office of Thailand

Abstract

Despite the growing adoption of cash and digital money for government payments, implementing digital payment systems can face acceptance issues such as transparency shortcomings, service delays and accessibility problems that undermine public trust in government payment systems. Across the world, government agencies have begun using digital technologies such as digital payment and e-services to boost public confidence in their financial operations. These steps are, in large part, intended to reduce corruption and improve government services through increased transparency and accountability (T&A). The Social Security Office (SSO) in Thailand is one such organization that has taken this route and has emphasized financial disclosure in order to improve T&A in its claims processes. The intention of this is to empower insured people through feedback channels that foster trust in the payment process. The core objective of this research is to explore the influences that enhance T&A in benefit payment systems. Despite the growing focus on enhancing T&A to bolster credibility among government agencies, the role of T&A and the ways to improve T&A in government payments remain unclear. To address this gap, this thesis reports a study to investigate collaborative work in the payment system and then explores T&A within the benefit payment activities by interpreting participants’ experience of claims in the Thai SSO. The thesis draws on a narrative approach with in-depth interviews in two data collection studies. The first study interviewed insured persons and government officers to understand the work involved in enabling social security payments. We found that although the demand for digital G2P payment systems has increased, some claims were still processed via paper documentation and cash payments due to the inaccessibility of digital services to some claimants. The key finding was the selection of payment methods to facilitate individuals lacking access to the banking system by offering compensation in cash or a postal order instead of digital transfers. Such findings highlight the importance of accommodating diverse needs and circumstances, ensuring that access to essential services remains inclusive and equitable. Building on our understanding of the benefit payment process, we further explored T&A processes and practices within the payment system in a second interview study of public officers and insured persons. These findings reveal the potential T&A in the SSO back and front office systems, which can improve the SSO's work performance and citizen trust in their payment decisions. 'Back-office systems' primarily handle internal processes such as claim processing, while 'front-office systems' directly involve insured person interactions. Data and information generated by back-office systems flow towards front-office operations to facilitate citizens' service and responsiveness, such as SSO regulations and tracking claims. However, attracting citizens to engage with information and services solely through digital platforms posed a significant challenge for the SSO. Hence, social influence surrounding insured persons emerged as a crucial driving force. Furthermore, tracking payment records and incorporating citizen feedback regarding complaints and expressions of opinions about the SSO services fostered a culture of accountability and responsiveness within the organization, ultimately contributing to a more effective T&A mechanisms in the SSO payment service delivery. The outcomes of this research provide contextualized illustrations of the role of T&A in SSO activities and identify T&A guidelines for researchers and designers so that the needs of public officers and insured persons can be foregrounded in the analysis and development of future payment systems. This thesis leverages the findings to discuss research implications regarding systems design and use, and in determining appropriate policy for the design of social security benefit payment systems and services, and egovernment payment systems.