The Paradox of Prioritization in Public Sector Algorithms
arXiv:2604.02641v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Public sector agencies perform the critical task of implementing the redistributive role of the State by acting as the leading provider of critical public services that many rely on. In recent years, public agencies have been increasingly adopting algorithmic prioritization tools to determine which individuals should be allocated scarce public resources. Prior work on these tools has largely focused on assessing and improving their fairness, accuracy, and validity. However, what remains understudied is how the structural design of prioritization itself shapes both the effectiveness of these tools and the experiences of those subject to them under realistic public sector conditions. In this study, we demonstrate the fallibility of adopting a p
View PDF
Abstract:Public sector agencies perform the critical task of implementing the redistributive role of the State by acting as the leading provider of critical public services that many rely on. In recent years, public agencies have been increasingly adopting algorithmic prioritization tools to determine which individuals should be allocated scarce public resources. Prior work on these tools has largely focused on assessing and improving their fairness, accuracy, and validity. However, what remains understudied is how the structural design of prioritization itself shapes both the effectiveness of these tools and the experiences of those subject to them under realistic public sector conditions. In this study, we demonstrate the fallibility of adopting a prioritization approach in the public sector by showing how the underlying mechanisms of prioritization generate significant relative disparities between groups of intersectional identities as resources become increasingly scarce. We argue that despite prevailing arguments that prioritization of resources can lead to efficient allocation outcomes, prioritization can intensify perceptions of inequality for impacted individuals. We contend that efficiencies generated by algorithmic tools should not be conflated with the dominant rhetoric that efficiency necessarily entails "doing more with less" and we highlight the risks of overlooking resource constraints present in real-world implementation contexts.
Subjects:
Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC)
Cite as: arXiv:2604.02641 [cs.HC]
(or arXiv:2604.02641v1 [cs.HC] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.02641
arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
Submission history
From: Erina Seh-Young Moon [view email] [v1] Fri, 3 Apr 2026 02:10:38 UTC (400 KB)
Sign in to highlight and annotate this article
Conversation starters
Daily AI Digest
Get the top 5 AI stories delivered to your inbox every morning.
More about
announceservicestudy
Do World Action Models Generalize Better than VLAs? A Robustness Study
World action models demonstrate superior robustness in robot action planning compared to vision-language-action models, achieving higher success rates on benchmark datasets under various perturbations. (1 upvotes on HuggingFace)
AgentSocialBench: Evaluating Privacy Risks in Human-Centered Agentic Social Networks
Human-centered agentic social networks pose unique privacy challenges where multi-agent coordination and information mediation create persistent leakage pressures despite explicit privacy protections. (3 upvotes on HuggingFace)
Failure Mechanisms and Risk Estimation for Legged Robot Locomotion on Granular Slopes
arXiv:2603.06928v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Locomotion on granular slopes such as sand dunes remains a fundamental challenge for legged robots due to reduced shear strength and gravity-induced anisotropic yielding of granular media. Using a hexapedal robot on a tiltable granular bed, we systematically measure locomotion speed together with slope-dependent normal and shear granular resistive forces. While normal penetration resistance remains nearly unchanged with inclination, shear resistance decreases substantially as slope angle increases. Guided by these measurements, we develop a simple robot-terrain interaction model that predicts anchoring timing, step length, and resulting robot speed, as functions of terrain strength and slope angle. The model reveals that slope-induced per
Knowledge Map
Connected Articles — Knowledge Graph
This article is connected to other articles through shared AI topics and tags.
More in Products
At least 80 different Microsoft Copilot products have been mapped out by expert, but there may be more than 100 — Microsoft doesn't have a singular list available, so AI consultant mapped out the myriad products - Tom's Hardware
At least 80 different Microsoft Copilot products have been mapped out by expert, but there may be more than 100 — Microsoft doesn't have a singular list available, so AI consultant mapped out the myriad products Tom's Hardware
Pakistan’s peace plan a ‘critical opportunity’ for US-Iran talks ahead of Trump deadline
As US President Donald Trump’s Tuesday deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz approached, Pakistan put forward a fresh proposal for an immediate ceasefire on Monday, offering what one analyst described as “a critical opportunity” for talks. The plan was brokered through overnight contacts between Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, US officials including Vice-President J.D. Vance and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Reuters. It called for an immediate halt to hostilities...
Discussion
Sign in to join the discussion
No comments yet — be the first to share your thoughts!